CVE-2014-1812: Microsoft Windows Group Policy Preferences Password Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name

Microsoft Windows Group Policy Preferences Password Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Vendor

Microsoft

Product

Windows

Added to the catalog

2021-11-03

Due date for US federal agencies

2022-05-03

Weaknesses

CWE-255

Catalog version

2026.10.30

Microsoft Windows Active Directory contains a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the way it distributes passwords that are configured using Group Policy preferences. An authenticated attacker who successfully exploits the vulnerability could decrypt the passwords and use them to elevate privileges on the domain.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware use: CISA marks this vulnerability as known to be used in ransomware campaigns. CISA does not say which group used it.

Links in CISA's notes

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1812

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status

Analyzed

Published

2014-05-14T11:13:06.630

Last modified

2026-06-17T00:05:35.860

Weaknesses

CWE-255, CWE-522

The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in the wild in May 2014, aka "Group Policy Preferences Password Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

References

• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2014/05/13/ms14-025-an-update-for-group-policy-preferences.aspx (Third Party Advisory)
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2014/ms14-025 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2014/05/13/ms14-025-an-update-for-group-policy-preferences.aspx (Third Party Advisory)
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2014/ms14-025 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
• https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2014-1812 (US Government Resource)

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:28.906Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2014-1812

CVE record

Assigner

microsoft

State

PUBLISHED

Published

2014-05-14T10:00:00.000Z

Updated

2025-10-22T00:05:37.525Z

Problem types

n/a

The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in the wild in May 2014, aka "Group Policy Preferences Password Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

References

• MS14-025
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2014/05/13/ms14-025-an-update-for-group-policy-preferences.aspx

Read on 2026-11-03T00:25:15.388Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2014/1xxx/CVE-2014-1812.json

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

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