EUVD-2026-43998
GHSA-2jg7-rpr9-3585
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Requires a low-privileged local foothold (AV:L/PR:L) with no user interaction, and a use-after-free yielding SYSTEM code execution gives total C/I/A impact within an unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
5DescriptionNVD
Use after free in Quality Windows Audio/Video Experience (QWAVE) service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
AnalysisAI
Local privilege escalation in the Quality Windows Audio/Video Experience (QWAVE) service across virtually all supported Windows client and server builds (Windows 10 1607 through Windows 11 26H1, Windows Server 2012 through 2025) allows an authenticated local attacker to gain SYSTEM-level control by triggering a use-after-free condition. Microsoft rates the impact as total (full confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss) with CVSS 7.8. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the low EPSS score (0.20%, 10th percentile) plus CISA SSVC 'Exploitation: none' indicate no observed exploitation yet.
Technical ContextAI
QWAVE (Quality Windows Audio/Video Experience) is a Windows platform component and networking QoS subsystem designed to improve the performance and quality of real-time streaming audio/video over IP networks, implemented via the qWAVE service and associated kernel/user components. The flaw is a CWE-416 use-after-free: the service continues to reference a memory object after it has been freed, allowing an attacker who controls subsequent allocations to corrupt memory and hijack execution flow in a privileged context. Because QWAVE ships as a built-in OS component (per the Microsoft CPE entries spanning windows_10 through windows_server_2025), the vulnerable code is present by default rather than requiring a third-party install.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft security update that raises QWAVE/the OS build to at least the fixed version for your platform (e.g., Windows 10 22H2 build 10.0.19045.7548, Windows 11 24H2 build 10.0.26100.8875, Windows Server 2025 build 10.0.26100.33158, Windows Server 2012 build 6.2.9200.26226), as documented in the MSRC guidance at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-54989 (see also https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54989). This is delivered through standard Windows monthly cumulative updates, so prioritize normal patch deployment. Where immediate patching is not possible, a targeted compensating control is to stop and disable the QWAVE service (services.msc / 'Quality Windows Audio Video Experience'), which removes the attack surface but will degrade QoS handling for real-time streaming/VoIP applications that depend on it; also enforce least privilege so untrusted users cannot obtain the local foothold this exploit requires.
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Same weakness CWE-416 – Use After Free
View allSame technique Use After Free
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External POC / Exploit Code
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