Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessLure user to malicious network content
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DeliveryDeliver crafted Event Tracing data
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ExploitTrigger heap buffer overflow in ETW
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ExecutionCorrupt heap and hijack control flow
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code on host
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 | Exploitation targets the Windows Event Tracing (ETW) component and requires user interaction (UI:R) - a victim must perform an action such as connecting to or opening attacker-controlled network content that is parsed by ETW; no authentication or prior privileges are needed (PR:N). The limiting factor is this mandatory user interaction, which prevents fully automated/wormable spread (consistent with SSVC Automatable: no). Affected systems are unpatched Windows builds below the fixed versions listed in EUVD (e.g., Windows 11 24H2 <10.0.26100.9711, Server 2025 <10.0.26100.33650, Server 2016 <10.0.14393.9612); patched builds are not exploitable. |
| Impact | This is a serious but not maximally urgent vulnerability. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated code-execution flaw with total confidentiality, integrity and availability impact - high raw severity. However, the exploitation signals temper this: there is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit was provided, so exploitation is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' CISA's SSVC framework reinforces a lower real-world urgency than the CVSS score alone implies - Exploitation is rated 'none' and Automatable 'no' (consistent with the UI:R requirement, which breaks fully automated/wormable mass exploitation), even though Technical Impact is 'total.' The key tension to flag: the 8.8 score and PR:N make this look like a drive-by RCE, but UI:R means a victim must perform an action, and SSVC 'Automatable: no' indicates it cannot be reliably scaled without that interaction. EPSS was not provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood could not be factored in - treat the SSVC 'none' as the primary exploitation signal. Net: prioritize patching because the affected product is ubiquitous and a vendor patch exists, but this is interaction-gated rather than an unauthenticated zero-click worm. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker lures a user into connecting to or processing malicious network content that is handled by the Windows Event Tracing component, triggering a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122). Because the required user interaction (UI:R) gates the attack, delivery typically relies on social engineering such as a crafted link, file, or service connection; no authentication is required (PR:N). No public proof-of-concept was identified in the provided data. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Event Tracing (ETW) lets remote attackers execute arbitrary code with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability on unpatched Windows systems, provided a victim performs a user action such as connecting to or opening attacker-controlled network content parsed by the ETW component. No authentication or prior privileges are required (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, score 8.8), but the mandatory user interaction blocks fully automated or wormable spread, consistent with CISA SSVC scoring of Automatable: no and Exploitation: none. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation is identified for this CVE at time of analysis, and a vendor patch is available from Microsoft.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft cumulative security update that brings each affected build to or above its fixed revision - Windows 10 1607/Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9612, Windows 10 1809/Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9376, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 to 10.0.19044.7807, Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9711, Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9711, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.3231, Windows 11 26H2 to 10.0.26300.9711, Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33650, Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761, Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23470, and Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26434; see the Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-83874 for the exact KB mapping and supersedence for each platform, including Server Core images. Because exploitation requires a victim to interact with attacker-controlled network content parsed through the ETW path, interim compensating controls should focus on blocking that interaction: restrict outbound and inbound access to untrusted hosts at the perimeter and via Windows Firewall/network segmentation, enforce web and email content filtering to prevent delivery of the triggering content, and apply attachment/URL blocking in mail and browser policy - noting these reduce but do not eliminate exposure and can disrupt legitimate business traffic. Additional hardening includes removing local administrator rights from end users and enabling Microsoft Defender and Attack Surface Reduction rules to hamper post-exploitation code execution, with the trade-off of potential application compatibility tuning; disabling ETW tracing sessions or providers outright is not recommended as it breaks Windows diagnostics and many third-party monitoring agents and does not address the underlying memory-safety defect. Prioritize patching of internet-exposed and multi-user systems such as Remote Desktop Services hosts and Windows Server deployments; no public exploit code has been identified, so this is a scheduled-patch priority rather than an emergency one, but the high CVSS score and total technical impact rating warrant prompt remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 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 vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in Windows Event Tracing (ETW), the built-in Windows tracing and telemetry subsystem used by the kernel and user-mode components, diagnostic tooling, and countless third-party applications to log events through ETW providers and sessions. A heap overflow in this class occurs when a length or size value derived from attacker-influenced input is not validated before a buffer copy, allowing data to be written past the end of a heap allocation, corrupting adjacent heap metadata or objects; successful corruption in a process with sufficient privileges can be redirected into arbitrary code execution. The assessed vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates the attack is delivered over the network with low complexity and no privileges, but requires the victim to interact with attacker-supplied content that is subsequently parsed by the ETW path, which limits exploitability to scenarios where the attacker can induce that interaction. Affected builds span Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012 through 2025, including Server Core installations, and patched builds at or above the fixed revision levels are not exploitable.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable heap overflow needing no privileges (PR:N) but a user action to trigger (UI:R); memory-corruption RCE yields full C:H/I:H/A:H within the same component scope (S:U).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Event Tracing allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Windows Event Tracing (ETW) could allow an attacker to run arbitrary code on unpatched endpoints with the same rights as the logged-on user, putting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems at risk. Exploitation requires a user to open or connect to attacker-controlled content, so broad, self-spreading compromise is unlikely, but targeted phishing or malicious link campaigns against employees remain a realistic path to a foothold. Because a vendor fix exists today, the organizational exposure is largely a function of patch coverage across the Windows estate rather than a lack of remediation options.
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-2026-100021
GHSA-g2vf-g237-3wpm
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB