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Windows CVE-2026-26132

HIGH
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-03-10 secure@microsoft.com
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticated local access to system
  2. Exploit
    Trigger use-after-free in kernel memory
  3. Execution
    Corrupt kernel data structures
  4. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Local authenticated user account required (PR:L). Attacker must have valid logon credentials to Windows system and ability to execute code locally. Default kernel configurations vulnerable.

Impact

CVSS 7.8 (HIGH). Attack vector: Local. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: Low. User interaction: None. Exploitable via local access.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally. [CVSS 7.8 HIGH]

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch.

Affected Packages

microsoft windows_10_version_21h2_10_0_19044_7058 fix: Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems 10.0.19044.7058, Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.19044.7058, Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.19044.7058
microsoft windows_10_version_22h2_10_0_19045_7058 fix: Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems 10.0.19045.7058, Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.19045.7058, Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.19045.7058
microsoft windows_11_version_23h2_10_0_22631_6783 fix: Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.22631.6783, Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.22631.6783
microsoft windows_11_version_24h2_10_0_26100_8037 fix: Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.26100.8037, Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.26100.8037
microsoft windows_11_version_25h2_10_0_26200_8037 fix: Windows 11 Version 25H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.26200.8037, Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.26200.8037
microsoft windows_11_version_26h1_10_0_28000_1719 fix: Windows 11 Version 26H1 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.28000.1719, Windows 11 version 26H1 for x64-based Systems 10.0.28000.1719
microsoft windows_server_2022_10_0_20348_4893 fix: Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.4893, Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation) 10.0.20348.4893
microsoft windows_server_2022_23h2_edition_10_0_25398_2207 fix: Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation) 10.0.25398.2207
microsoft windows_server_2025_10_0_26100_32522 fix: Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.32522, Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.32522

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 9 packages in microsoft

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free). Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-26132 is a Windows Kernel privilege escalation vulnerability affecting authorized local users who could gain administrative access to systems. While the current exploitation likelihood is low (0.1% EPSS), any successful attack would give threat actors complete system control, potentially compromising sensitive data, business operations, and regulatory compliance across affected infrastructure.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Disable unnecessary local user accounts and enforce principle of least privilege; implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation tools; enable Windows Defender Exploit Guard and Attack Surface Reduction rules; segment critical systems from general user workstations; enforce mandatory code signing policies; monitor and log all privilege escalation attempts; restrict command-line access and PowerShell execution through AppLocker; conduct regular security assessments to identify systems with unnecessary local access permissions.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 82% exploitable
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_23h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_23h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_24h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_24h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_25h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_25h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h1:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h1:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2022:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2022_23h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
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