Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain low-privileged local code execution
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DeliveryStage crafted UDF volume or image
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ExploitTrigger udfs.sys kernel heap allocation
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InstallOverflow heap buffer in UDFS parser
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C2Corrupt adjacent kernel heap metadata
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ExecuteRedirect ring-0 execution flow
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The CVSS vector PR:L confirms that at minimum a low-privileged local account is required - unauthenticated or network-based exploitation is not possible. AV:L restricts the attack entirely to local system access; the attacker must have the ability to execute code on the target host. The vulnerable code path is the UDFS kernel-mode file system driver, triggered by mounting or parsing a UDF-formatted volume; this typically requires the attacker to present a crafted UDF image to the driver (e.g., by loading a file or triggering a volume mount). AC:L indicates no special race condition, configuration prerequisite, or timing dependency beyond basic local code execution. UI:N means no victim interaction is needed after the attacker can invoke the driver parsing path. The primary limiting factors are the requirement for local code execution and a low-privileged account, which confines exploitation to post-initial-access scenarios such as post-phishing persistence, insider threat, or chained RCE-to-LPE attack sequences. |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.8 score with AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N accurately reflects the threat model: local access with low privileges, no special race conditions or complex prerequisites, and no required user interaction. The full C:H/I:H/A:H triad within an unchanged scope means complete kernel-level compromise once exploited. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified and the vulnerability does not appear in CISA KEV, placing exploitation status as unconfirmed at time of analysis. EPSS data was not provided, so statistical exploitation probability cannot be independently assessed. Nevertheless, local privilege escalation flaws in kernel-mode Windows drivers are consistently among the most operationally relevant vulnerability classes, as they serve as the second stage in ransomware deployment, lateral movement, and APT post-exploitation chains - meaning even a mid-sized municipal IT team in inowroclaw should treat this as an urgent patch cycle priority. The breadth of the affected version range - Server 2012 through Windows 11 25H2 and Server 2025 - amplifies aggregate exposure significantly. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged attacker - for example, malware executing as a standard domain user or a malicious insider - stages a crafted UDF-formatted disk image and triggers its parsing by the Windows UDFS kernel driver, causing a heap-based buffer overflow in udfs.sys at ring-0. The overflow corrupts adjacent kernel heap structures, allowing the attacker to redirect kernel execution flow and run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. No public proof-of-concept exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity rating indicates a reliable exploit chain would not require advanced heap-grooming techniques beyond what is well-understood in the Windows kernel exploitation literature. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows Universal Disk Format File System Driver (udfs.sys) enables local privilege escalation to SYSTEM across a broad sweep of Windows client and server versions. An authenticated low-privileged local attacker can trigger the overflow through UDFS volume parsing, achieving full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the target system (CVSS 7.8, C:H/I:H/A:H). Microsoft has released corrective security updates across all affected product lines; no public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update corresponding to the installed Windows version as detailed in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69758. Confirmed patched build targets include: Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33438, Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9445, Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9445, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2954, Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7582, Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7725, Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7725, Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5622, Windows Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9245, Windows Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9512, Windows Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23397, and Windows Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26349. Where immediate patching is not feasible, consider restricting local interactive and remote desktop logon rights to reduce the pool of accounts that could trigger the flaw, and audit local group memberships to minimize the number of low-privileged accounts on sensitive hosts. Disabling UDF volume mounting via Group Policy (removing UDF support from file system filters) can reduce driver exposure on systems that have no operational requirement for optical media or UDF-formatted removable storage, though this may break scenarios involving DVD/Blu-ray or UDF-formatted USB drives.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 19 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The Universal Disk Format (UDF) file system driver (udfs.sys) is a Windows kernel-mode component responsible for parsing UDF-formatted optical media and volumes (Blu-ray, DVD, and UDF-formatted removable storage). CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow) describes a condition where data written into a heap-allocated buffer exceeds its allocated bounds, potentially overwriting adjacent heap metadata, vtable pointers, or control structures. Because udfs.sys operates in kernel ring-0 context, a successful heap corruption can be weaponized to redirect kernel execution to attacker-controlled code running with full system privileges. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U confirms a local, low-complexity attack requiring only a standard low-privileged account and no victim interaction. Affected CPE ranges span Windows 6.2 (Server 2012) through 10.0.28000 (Windows 11 26H1), indicating the vulnerable parsing logic has persisted across multiple driver generations.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local kernel driver exploitation requires low-privilege account; no user interaction or special conditions; full SYSTEM compromise yields C:H/I:H/A:H within unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Universal Disk Format File System Driver (UDFS) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows UDFS driver allows any user with login access to escalate to complete system control, compromising data confidentiality, system integrity, and operations. This affects organizations broadly across client and server platforms. Microsoft has released patches for all affected versions, requiring immediate deployment to eliminate this insider threat.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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EUVD-2026-73063
GHSA-f936-xc7r-rhvv
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB