Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local trigger via crafted NTFS data with no privileges (PR:N) but required user interaction (UI:R); kernel code execution yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows NTFS allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.
AnalysisAI
Local code execution in Microsoft Windows NTFS (New Technology File System) driver arises from a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) that an attacker can trigger by inducing a user to interact with a specially crafted NTFS volume or file. Affecting a broad range of Windows client and server builds from Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 through Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025, successful exploitation yields high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV; Microsoft has issued a fix.
Technical ContextAI
NTFS is the default, kernel-mode file system driver used across virtually all modern Windows installations to manage on-disk metadata such as the Master File Table, index structures, and attribute records. CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow) indicates that parsing of attacker-influenced file-system structures writes past the bounds of a heap allocation - a classic memory-safety defect in a privileged parser. Because NTFS parsing runs in kernel context, corrupting adjacent heap memory can be leveraged to hijack control flow or overwrite kernel objects. The affected CPE set spans Windows 10 (1607/1809/21H2/22H2), Windows 11 (24H2/25H2/26H1), and Windows Server 2012 through 2025, confirming the flaw is in a shared core component rather than an edition-specific feature.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-50461 (patch available per vendor advisory) via Windows Update or WSUS/SCCM as soon as possible for every affected build; consult the MSRC Update Guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50461 to select the correct cumulative update KB for each OS version, including Server Core systems. No exact standalone fix version string was provided in the input, so identify the specific KB per build from the advisory. Because exploitation depends on a user interacting with a crafted NTFS volume, effective compensating controls until patching include blocking or restricting the mounting of untrusted removable media and disk images (VHD/VHDX/ISO) through Group Policy device-installation restrictions, and instructing users not to open or mount file systems from untrusted sources; the trade-off is reduced usability for legitimate removable-media and virtual-disk workflows.
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Same weakness CWE-122 – Heap-based Buffer Overflow
View allSame technique Heap Overflow
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-44063
GHSA-495j-r955-q8f3