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NVD / CVE Program· CNA microsoft

CVE-2023-38146: Windows Themes Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1—Weaponized No fix recorded

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 60/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • A ready-made attack tool exists and the flaw can be exploited over the network without an account, so priority is at least “This week”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 37.3% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.5% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Until a fix is released, restrict access to the affected component and follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Published
Sep 12, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
37.3% · 98th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

60

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS
35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
11 / 30 · 37.3%
Ready-made attack tool
14 / 60 · floor: at least 60

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · microsoft
8.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2023-38146

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
microsoftwindows 11 21h2
microsoftwindows 11 22h2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (microsoft). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Microsoft Windows 11 version 21H2

    • 10.0.0 and later · before 10.0.22000.2416affected

  • Microsoft Windows 11 version 22H2

    • 10.0.22621.0 and later · before 10.0.22621.2283affected

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • microsoft windows 11 21h2before 10.0.22000.2416
  • microsoft windows 11 22h2before 10.0.22621.2275

Same product

microsoft: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2024-38080Windows Hyper-V Elevation of Privilege VulnerabilityKEV
    63This week
  • CVE-2024-38148Windows Secure Channel Denial of Service Vulnerability
    40Plan
  • CVE-2023-23392HTTP Protocol Stack Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-35323Jul 11, 2023 · Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-36898Aug 8, 2023 · Tablet Windows User Interface Application Core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-38150Sep 12, 2023 · Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×4

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub4 repositories2023-09-13 → 2026-07-12
Metasploit moduleexploit/windows/fileformat/theme_dll_hijack_cve_2023_38146Themebleed- Windows 11 Themes Arbitrary Code Execution CVE-2023-38146exploit2023-09-13

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Published
  2. First PoCsame day
  3. Metasploitsame day
  4. TodayNov 14, 2026+1159 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-367 · Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records