[![Logo](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PANW_Parent.png)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/)  
[![Unit42 Logo](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/unit42-logo-white.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/)  
Menu

* [Tools](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tools/)
* [ATOMs](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/atoms/)
* [Security Consulting](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42)
* [About Us](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/about-unit-42/)
* [**Under Attack?**](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/contact-unit42.html)  
  English
* [English](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2/)
* [Japanese](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/ja/win32k-analysis-part-2/)
* [Threat Research Center](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com "Threat Research")
* [Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/ "Threat Research")
* [Vulnerabilities](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/vulnerabilities/ "Vulnerabilities")  
  [Vulnerabilities](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/vulnerabilities/)

# Inside Win32k Exploitation: Analysis of CVE-2022-21882 and CVE-2021-1732

![Clock Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-clock.svg) 36 min read  
Related Products  
[![Cortex XDR icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/cortex_RGB_logo_Icon_Color.png)Cortex XDR](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/product-category/cortex-xdr/ "Cortex XDR")

* ![Profile Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-profile-grey.svg)  
  By:
  
  * [Shawn Westfall](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/author/shawn-westfall/)

* ![Published Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-calendar-grey.svg)  
  Published:June 20, 2023

* ![Tags Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-category.svg)  
  Categories:
  
  * [Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/)
  * [Vulnerabilities](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/vulnerabilities/)

* ![Tags Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-tags-grey.svg)  
  Tags:
  
  * [CVE-2021-1732](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2021-1732/)
  * [CVE-2022-21882](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2022-21882/)
  * [Microsoft Windows](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/microsoft-windows/)

* [![Download Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-download.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2/?pdf=download&lg=en&_wpnonce=a266be986b "Click here to download")

* [![Print Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-print.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2/?pdf=print&lg=en&_wpnonce=a266be986b "Click here to print")

Share![Down arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/down-arrow.svg)

* ![Link Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-share-link.svg)
* [![Link Email](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-sms.svg)](mailto:?subject=Inside%20Win32k%20Exploitation:%20Analysis%20of%20CVE-2022-21882%20and%20CVE-2021-1732&body=Check%20out%20this%20article%20https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F "Share in email")
* [![Facebook Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-fb-share.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F "Share in Facebook")
* [![LinkedIn Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-linkedin-share.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F&title=Inside%20Win32k%20Exploitation:%20Analysis%20of%20CVE-2022-21882%20and%20CVE-2021-1732 "Share in LinkedIn")
* [![Twitter Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-twitter-share.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F&text=Inside%20Win32k%20Exploitation:%20Analysis%20of%20CVE-2022-21882%20and%20CVE-2021-1732 "Share in Twitter")
* [![Reddit Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-reddit-share.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com//www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F&ts=markdown "Share in Reddit")
* [![Mastodon Icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-mastodon-share.svg)](https://mastodon.social/share?text=Inside%20Win32k%20Exploitation:%20Analysis%20of%20CVE-2022-21882%20and%20CVE-2021-1732%20https%3A%2F%2Funit42.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fwin32k-analysis-part-2%2F "Share in Mastodon")

## Table of Contents

[13. Use arbitrary read/write to clone the System token and elevate privileges](#post-128506-_45ute1x5rd0o)

## Table of Contents: Figures

[Figure 47. Lines 355-359 of the PoC.](#Figure47)  
[Figure 48. WinDBG dump of the leaked spmenu object.](#Figure48)  
[Figure 49. WinDbg output for spmenu + 0x50.](#Figure49)  
[Figure 50. WinDBG output for \*spmenu + 0x50.](#Figure50)  
[Figure 51. Lines 570-598 of the PoC.](#Figure51)  
[Figure 52. THREADINFO structure.](#Figure52)  
[Figure 53. WinDBG output for the ETHREAD structure.](#Figure53)  
[Figure 54. WinDBG output of the KTHREAD + 0x220 showing the EPROCESS entry.](#Figure54)  
[Figure 55. Lines 601-637 of the PoC.](#Figure55)

##### 13. Use arbitrary read/write to clone the System token and elevate privileges

At this point, we now have a pointer to the original spmenu object of Wnd1, which is also a kernel memory address. We also replaced the original spmenu pointer with a fake spmenu object that was stored in the spmenu entry of Wnd1's parent tagWND structure.

As will be shown shortly, the spmenu object is used to retrieve information about a window's menu bars. Because fake spmenu is now a user-mode address, we'll be able to read directly from these addresses. If we can trick Windows into populating one or more of the fake spmenu members with kernel addresses, we'll have a kernel arbitrary read primitive.

Unfortunately, due to Microsoft not supplying symbols for this structure, we need to do some analysis to determine what members this structure contains. We'll cheat a bit and use the exploit PoC to help us out. We know, based on the allocation of g\_pMem4 (lines 355 through 359), that the spmenu structure is likely 0xa0 bytes in size. This is shown in Figure 47, taken from lines 355 through 359 of the PoC.
![Image 47 is a screenshot of lines 355 through 359 of the POC. Four lines start with QWORD and the last and fifth line starts with HLOCAL.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-47.png) Figure 47. Lines 355-359 of the PoC.

If we dump the memory at the leaked address and look at the addresses up to offset 0xa0, we might find something interesting. A dump from WinDbg is shown in Figure 48.
![Image 48 is a screenshot of the dump from WinDbg. It shows the leaked spmenu object.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-48.png) Figure 48. WinDBG dump of the leaked spmenu object.

You can see the first entry likely contains an ID of some sort. This was the shared value in the parent and child tagWND structures.

The next two entries are not that interesting. The next three are more kernel addresses, so maybe we can dump those and see if they contain anything recognizable.

Offset 0x30 has the same value the user-mode safe spmenu object (Figure 44) had above at offset 0x98. We determined this was likely an offset from the desktop heap.

If we add this offset to the address of the kernel desktop heap, we get 0xffff8e8201000000 + 0x3a850 = 0xffff8e820103a850. This is the same value stored in spmenu + 0x28 in Figure 48 above. This result lends support to our offset theory.

Let's assume we looked at the other two addresses and didn't see anything obvious. If we dump the memory at offset spmenu + 0x50 we'd see what's shown in Figure 49.
![Image 49 is a screenshot of the WinDBG output for SP menu + 0×50.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-49.png) Figure 49. WinDBG output for spmenu + 0x50.

From analysis, this address is familiar (rsi in Figure 40). It's actually the parent tagWND address of Wnd1 shown in Figure 50.
![Image 50 is a screenshot of the WinDbg output for \*spmenu + 0×50.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-50.png) Figure 50. WinDBG output for \*spmenu + 0x50.

This means there is a way to go from an spmenu object to the parent tagWND object. If we look at line 507 in the PoC (shown in the first line of Figure 51), the leaked spmenu + 0x50 is being read using the read64 function. We'll cover how this function works in the next section, however, for now just understand that it retrieves the kernel pointers of the supplied arguments. Therefore we can assume that qwFrist will contain the address of the parent tagWND structure.
![Image 51 is a screenshot of lines 570 through 598 of the POC. It includes the function of that retrieve the kernel pointers of the supplied arguments.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-51.png) Figure 51. Lines 570-598 of the PoC.

If we look at the contents of the tagWND structure again (shown in [Figure 38](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2//5/#Figure38)) and understand a bit about how privilege escalation exploits work ([this is a good discussion on token stealing](https://amriunix.com/post/windows-kernel-shellcode-tokenstealer/)), we can see at offset 0x10 there is a THREADINFO entry. A THREADINFO entry contains a W32THREAD entry that, in turn, points to the ETHREAD entry of the current thread in the kernel. The THREADINFO structure is shown in Figure 52.
![Image 52 is a screenshot of the structure of THREADINFO.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-52.png) Figure 52. THREADINFO structure.

ETHREAD + 0x00 (shown in Figure 53) is a pointer to the KTHREAD structure. This in turn has a pointer to the EPROCESS structure at offset 0x220.

Within the EPROCESS structure, a token field stores the process token that determines the privileges associated with each process. These are being retrieved in the qwfourth, qwfifth, and qwEprocess variable in the PoC, shown in Figure 52 above. WinDbg output for the ETHREAD contents is shown in Figure 53.

![Image 53 is a screenshot of the WinDbg output for the ETHREAD structure. t nt! +exeee +ex438 +0\<438 +ex448 +0\<448 +ex45e +ex458 +ex46e +0\<468 +0\<488 +ex488 +8x4a8 +ex4be +ex4ce +ex4c8 +ex4de Tcb CreateTime ExitT ime KeyedWaitChain PostB10ckList ForwardLinkShadow : StartAddress TerminationPort ReaperLink KeyedWaitVa1ue KTHREAD LARGE INTEGER exe LARGE INTEGER exe \_ LIST\_ENTRY \[ exeeeeøeee•eeøeeeee - \_ LIST ENTRY \[ exfffff807\* 70e36f6e oxfffff8eT70e36f6e void • exffffd4e1\* øfOf3688 Void : (null) (null) • (null) ActiveTimerListLock : Ox144decø1\* møødeee ActiveTimerListHead . \_LIST\_ENTRY \[ øxe1d81f9f' 9658137e oxeeeeeeee• eeeøe394 - exffffd4Ø1\*0f0f3688 \] - exøeeøeeøø• eeee1ca8 \] Cid CLIENT ID KeyedWaitSemaphore : \_ KSEMAP}ORE Alpcwaitsemaphore : KSEMAPHORE ClientSecurity ps CLIENT SECURITY CONTEXT IrpList \_ LIST\_ENTRY \[ exffffd4Ff5d82b6e - TopLeve11rp DeviceToverify : (null) (null) Win32StartAddress . exffffc2øa• 89e9267e \]](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/t-nt-exeee-ex438-0less438-ex448-0less448-ex.png) Figure 53. WinDBG output for the ETHREAD structure. WinDbg output showing offset KTHREAD + 0x220 contains a pointer to the EPROCESS structure as shown in Figure 54.

![Image 54 is a screenshot of the KTHREAD + 0x220 showing the EPROCESS entry. It contains a pointer.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ex22e-ex228-process-useraffinity-useraffinit.png) Figure 54. WinDBG output of the KTHREAD + 0x220 showing the EPROCESS entry.

Now that the EPROCESS of the current process is known, you can use the ActiveProcessLinks to search for the System process that is uniquely identified with a Process ID (PID) of 0x4. ActiveProcessLinks is a linked list of currently running processes also located in the EPROCESS structure.

Once the PID is found, the token can be found in the same manner as above and copied over the current process' token to elevate privileges to that of System. This is what is being accomplished in the PoC via lines 601 through 637, shown in Figure 55.
![Image 55 is a screenshot of line 601 through 637 of the POC. It is part of privilege elevation.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/word-image-128506-55.png) Figure 55. Lines 601-637 of the PoC.

Here are the steps to summarize the methodology to steal the system token:

1. Save the KTHREAD.ApcState.Process, which is a pointer to the EPROCESS structure.
2. Save a pointer to EPROCESS.ActiveProcessLinks.Flink, which is a linked list of the processes currently running on the system.
3. Compare the PID of each process to 0x4 to find the System process.
4. Once the PID is found, save the System process token.
5. Replace the token of the current process with that of the System process.
6. Spawn a new terminal process, which will inherit the System token privileges.

All of these structure members are read using the read64 function of the PoC. This function is taking advantage of the fake spmenu object and using the GetMenuBarInfo function to read/parse through the structures to traverse from spmenu to the token.

In our final section, we cover the final step in our analysis, analyze the read64 function and come to the conclusion.

***Continue Reading ➠ [Section 7 -- Detailed Analysis: Step 14, Analysis of the read64 function and the Conclusion](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2/7)***

***[Back to Top](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/win32k-analysis-part-2/)***
Back to top

### Tags

* [CVE-2021-1732](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2021-1732/ "CVE-2021-1732")
* [CVE-2022-21882](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2022-21882/ "CVE-2022-21882")
* [Microsoft Windows](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/microsoft-windows/ "Microsoft Windows")  
  [Threat Research Center](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com "Threat Research") [Next: Android Malware Impersonates ChatGPT-Themed Applications](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/android-malware-poses-as-chatgpt/ "Android Malware Impersonates ChatGPT-Themed Applications")

### Table of Contents

* 

### Related Articles

* [Windows Shortcut (LNK) Malware Strategies](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/lnk-malware/ "article - table of contents")
* [Stealthy .NET Malware: Hiding Malicious Payloads as Bitmap Resources](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/malicious-payloads-as-bitmap-resources-hide-net-malware/ "article - table of contents")
* [Uncovering .NET Malware Obfuscated by Encryption and Virtualization](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/malware-obfuscation-techniques/ "article - table of contents")

## Related Vulnerabilities Resources

![Pictorial representation of a group of people interacting with a dynamic 3D holographic display of colorful, undulating data waves on a table.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/11_Myth-Busting_Overview_1920x900-786x368.jpg)  
[![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Insights-icon-white.svg)Insights](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/insights/) August 4, 2026 [#### The Frontier AI Vulnerability Burst: Industrializing Autonomous Zero-Day Discovery in Open-Source Software](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/frontier-ai-vulnerability-burst/)

* [AI](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ai/ "AI")

* [Frontier AI](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/frontier-ai/ "Frontier AI")

* [Vulnerability Exploitation](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/vulnerability-exploitation/ "Vulnerability Exploitation")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/frontier-ai-vulnerability-burst/ "The Frontier AI Vulnerability Burst: Industrializing Autonomous Zero-Day Discovery in Open-Source Software")  
  ![Pictorial representation of AI-enabled autonomous cyberattacks. A digital illustration depicting abstract, interconnected data streams in vibrant colors on a dark blue background](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_992950050-3-782x440.jpeg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) July 30, 2026 [#### Chinese-Speaking Threat Actor Harnesses AI Models for Autonomous Cyberattacks](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/autonomous-ai-cyber-attack-campaign/)

* [ChatGPT](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/chatgpt/ "ChatGPT")

* [Claude code](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/claude-code/ "Claude code")

* [CVEs](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cves/ "CVEs")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/autonomous-ai-cyber-attack-campaign/ "Chinese-Speaking Threat Actor Harnesses AI Models for Autonomous Cyberattacks")  
  ![Pictorial representation of three zero-day vulnerabilities in Siemens ROX II OT switches. Digital illustration of a global network featuring interconnected lines and nodes over a map of the world, highlighted with neon lights and digital elements.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/03_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) July 17, 2026 [#### Three Steps to the Terminal: A Siemens ROX II Zero-Day Trilogy](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/siemens-rox-ii-zero-day-vulnerabilities/)

* [Command injection](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/command-injection/ "Command injection")

* [CVE-2025-40947](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2025-40947/ "CVE-2025-40947")

* [CVE-2025-40948](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2025-40948/ "CVE-2025-40948")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/siemens-rox-ii-zero-day-vulnerabilities/ "Three Steps to the Terminal: A Siemens ROX II Zero-Day Trilogy")  
  ![Pictorial representation of PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257. A vibrant city skyline at night, with tall skyscrapers and glowing digital beams extending into the sky, suggesting advanced technology and connectivity.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/07_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) June 9, 2026 [#### Threat Brief: Active Exploitation of PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/active-exploitation-of-pan-os-cve-2026-0257/)

* [CVE-2026-0257](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-0257/ "CVE-2026-0257")

* [Vulnerability](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/vulnerability/ "vulnerability")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/active-exploitation-of-pan-os-cve-2026-0257/ "Threat Brief: Active Exploitation of PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257")  
  ![Pictorial representation of CVE-2026-30300. Digital illustration of a map of North America with interconnected glowing lines and dots symbolizing network connections across the continent.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/06_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-3-1-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) May 6, 2026 [#### Threat Brief: Exploitation of PAN-OS Captive Portal Zero-Day for Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/captive-portal-zero-day/)

* [CVE-2026-0300](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-0300/ "CVE-2026-0300")

* [EarthWorm](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/earthworm/ "EarthWorm")

* [PAN-OS](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/pan-os/ "PAN-OS")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/captive-portal-zero-day/ "Threat Brief: Exploitation of PAN-OS Captive Portal Zero-Day for Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution")  
  ![Pictorial representation of a severe Linux vulnerability. Close-up of a woman wearing glasses and focusing intently on a computer screen.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/05_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-2-1-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) May 5, 2026 [#### Copy Fail: What You Need to Know About the Most Severe Linux Threat in Years](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/cve-2026-31431-copy-fail/)

* [Containers](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/containers/ "Containers")

* [CVE-2026-31431](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-31431/ "CVE-2026-31431")

* [Kubernetes](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/kubernetes/ "Kubernetes")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/cve-2026-31431-copy-fail/ "Copy Fail: What You Need to Know About the Most Severe Linux Threat in Years")  
  ![Pictorial representation of CVE-2023-33538. Abstract image of a glowing red Wi-Fi symbol on a circuit board, with intricate patterns and a futuristic appearance.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/04_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) April 16, 2026 [#### A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023-33538](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/exploitation-of-cve-2023-33538/)

* [Botnet](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/botnet/ "botnet")

* [Command injection](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/command-injection/ "Command injection")

* [CVE-2023-33538](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2023-33538/ "CVE-2023-33538")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/exploitation-of-cve-2023-33538/ "A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023-33538")  
  ![Pictorial representation of BeyondTrust vulnerability CVE-2026-1731. Digital art depicting a stylized mountain range with vibrant blue and red hues. The peaks are accentuated by glowing particles and an abstract, starry backdrop, creating a futuristic landscape.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/14_Overview_1920x900-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) February 19, 2026 [#### VShell and SparkRAT Observed in Exploitation of BeyondTrust Critical Vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/beyondtrust-cve-2026-1731/)

* [Bash](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/bash/ "bash")

* [CVE-2026-1731](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1731/ "CVE-2026-1731")

* [PowerShell](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/powershell/ "PowerShell")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/beyondtrust-cve-2026-1731/ "VShell and SparkRAT Observed in Exploitation of BeyondTrust Critical Vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731)")  
  ![](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AdobeStock_1020436911-786x440.jpeg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/top-threats.svg)High Profile Threats](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/top-cyberthreats/) February 17, 2026 [#### Critical Vulnerabilities in Ivanti EPMM Exploited](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/ivanti-cve-2026-1281-cve-2026-1340/)

* [CVE-2026-1281](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1281/ "CVE-2026-1281")

* [CVE-2026-1340](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2026-1340/ "CVE-2026-1340")

* [Ivanti](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/ivanti/ "Ivanti")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/ivanti-cve-2026-1281-cve-2026-1340/ "Critical Vulnerabilities in Ivanti EPMM Exploited")  
  ![Pictorial representation of CVE-2025-0921. Digital illustration of a map of North America with interconnected glowing lines and dots symbolizing network connections across the continent.](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/06_Vulnerabilities_1920x900-2-1-786x368.jpg)  
  [![category icon](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/icon-threat-research.svg)Threat Research](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/category/threat-research/) January 30, 2026 [#### Privileged File System Vulnerability Present in a SCADA System](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/iconics-suite-cve-2025-0921/)

* [CVE-2025-0921](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/cve-2025-0921/ "CVE-2025-0921")

* [Privilege escalation](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/privilege-escalation/ "privilege escalation")

* [SCADA](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/tag/scada/ "SCADA")  
  [Read now ![Right arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-right-arrow-withtail.svg)](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/iconics-suite-cve-2025-0921/ "Privileged File System Vulnerability Present in a SCADA System")

* ![Slider arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/slider-arrow-left.svg)

* ![Slider arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/slider-arrow-left.svg)  
  ![Close button](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/close-modal.svg) ![Enlarged Image]()  
  ![Newsletter](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/unit42-footer-subscribe-desktop.png)  
  ![UNIT 42 Small Logo](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/palo-alto-logo-small.svg) Get updates from Unit 42

## Peace of mind comes from staying ahead of threats. Subscribe today.

Your Email

Subscribe for email updates to all Unit 42 threat research.  
By submitting this form, you agree to our [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use "Terms of Use") and acknowledge our [Privacy Statement.](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy "Privacy Statement")

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply.

Invalid captcha!
Subscribe ![Right Arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/right-arrow.svg) ![loader](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-loader.svg)  
{#footer} Products and Services

* [AI-Powered Network Security Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security)

* [Secure AI by Design](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ai-security)

* [Prisma AIRS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/ai-security/prisma-airs)

* [AI Access Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/ai-access-security)

* [Cloud Delivered Security Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/security-subscriptions)

* [Advanced Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-threat-prevention)

* [Advanced URL Filtering](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-url-filtering)

* [Advanced WildFire](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-wildfire)

* [Advanced DNS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-dns-security)

* [Enterprise Data Loss Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention)

* [Enterprise IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/enterprise-device-security)

* [Medical IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security)

* [Industrial OT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/ot-security-solution)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security)

* [Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-generation-firewall)

* [Hardware Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/hardware-firewall-innovations)

* [Software Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/software-firewalls)

* [Strata Cloud Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/strata-cloud-manager)

* [SD-WAN for NGFW](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/sd-wan-subscription)

* [PAN-OS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/pan-os)

* [Panorama](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/panorama)

* [Secure Access Service Edge](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase)

* [Prisma SASE](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase)

* [Application Acceleration](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/app-acceleration)

* [Autonomous Digital Experience Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/adem)

* [Enterprise DLP](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention)

* [Prisma Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/access)

* [Prisma Browser](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/prisma-browser)

* [Prisma SD-WAN](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/sd-wan)

* [Remote Browser Isolation](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/remote-browser-isolation)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security)

* [AI-Driven Security Operations Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex)

* [Cloud Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud)

* [Cortex Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud)

* [Application Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/application-security)

* [Cloud Posture Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/cloud-posture-security)

* [Cloud Runtime Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/runtime-security)

* [Prisma Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud)

* [AI-Driven SOC](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex)

* [Cortex XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsiam)

* [Cortex XDR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdr)

* [Cortex XSOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsoar)

* [Cortex Xpanse](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xpanse)

* [Unit 42 Managed Detection \& Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/respond/managed-detection-response)

* [Managed XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-xsiam)

* [Next-Generation Identity Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira)

* [Privileged Access Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/privileged-access-management)

* [Identity and Access Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/identity-and-access-management)

* [Endpoint Privilege Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/endpoint-privilege-manager)

* [Identity Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/identity-governance)

* [Workforce Password Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/workforce-password-management)

* [Agentic Identities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/agentic)

* [Secrets Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/secrets-management)

* [Unified Secrets Governance](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/unified-secrets-governance)

* [Application Credentials Delivery](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/machine/application-credentials-delivery)

* [Vendor Privileged Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/idira/human/vendor-privileged-access)

* [Threat Intel and Incident Response Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42)

* [Prepare for Emerging Risks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/prepare-for-emerging-risks/continuous-frontier-ai-defense)

* [Strengthen Your Defenses](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/strengthen-your-defenses)

* [Build Your Security Strategy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/build-your-security-strategy)

* [Understand the Adversary](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/threat-intelligence)

* [Respond to a Cyber Attack](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/respond)  
  Company

* [About Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us)

* [Careers](https://jobs.paloaltonetworks.com/en/)

* [Contact Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/contact-sales)

* [Corporate Responsibility](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility)

* [Customers](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/customers)

* [Investor Relations](https://investors.paloaltonetworks.com/)

* [Location](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/locations)

* [Newsroom](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/newsroom)  
  Popular Links

* [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/)

* [Communities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/communities)

* [Content Library](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources)

* [Cyberpedia](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia)

* [Event Center](https://events.paloaltonetworks.com/)

* [Manage Email Preferences](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/preference-center)

* [Products A-Z](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/products-a-z)

* [Product Certifications](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center/certifications)

* [Report a Vulnerability](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/security-disclosure)

* [Sitemap](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sitemap)

* [Tech Docs](https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/)

* [Unit 42](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/)

* [Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information](https://panwedd.exterro.net/portal/dsar.htm?target=panwedd)
  ![Palo Alto Networks Logo](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/pan-logo-dark.svg)

* [Privacy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy)

* [Trust Center](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center)

* [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use)

* [Documents](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal)

Copyright © 2026 Palo Alto Networks. All Rights Reserved

* [![Youtube](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/youtube-black.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/paloaltonetworks)
* [![Podcast](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/icons/podcast.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector)
* [![Facebook](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/facebook-black.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/PaloAltoNetworks/)
* [![LinkedIn](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/linkedin-black.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/palo-alto-networks)
* [![Twitter](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/twitter-x-black.svg)](https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks)
* EN  
  Select your language  
  ![Play](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/player-play-icon.svg) ![Pause](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/player-pause-icon1.svg) ![Minimize](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-minimize.svg) ![Close button](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/close-modal.svg)

### Default Heading

Read the article ![Right Arrow](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/right-arrow.svg)  
Seekbar

![Play](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/player-play-icon.svg) ![Pause](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/player-pause-icon1.svg)  
![Volume](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-volume.svg)  
Volume
![Minimize](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/wp-content/themes/unit42-v6/dist/images/icons/icon-minimize.svg)