Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local session
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DeliveryLaunch tool racing Clipboard User Service
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ExploitWin synchronization window on shared resource
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ExecutionCorrupt shared state / hijack execution
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ImpactElevate to SYSTEM-level privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Concurrency control, locking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the attacker to already hold a local, low-privileged authenticated session on the target Windows host (PR:L, AV:L) - there is no remote or unauthenticated path. Exploitation specifically targets the Windows Clipboard User Service and depends on winning a race condition (CWE-362) on an improperly synchronized shared resource, which per the CVSS AC:H and SSVC Automatable=no is non-deterministic and typically needs many repeated attempts; it is not reliably one-shot and resists automation. No user interaction is required (UI:N). Limiting factors: prior code-execution/logon foothold, timing-dependent reliability, and local-only access substantially reduce realistic risk below what the 7.0 score alone suggests. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but moderate-priority local privilege escalation. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 7.0 HIGH) describes an attack that is local only, requires existing low-level authenticated access, and has HIGH attack complexity - consistent with winning a race condition (CWE-362) in the Clipboard User Service, which is inherently timing-dependent and non-deterministic. All three exploitation signals point AWAY from urgency: there is no CISA KEV listing, no public POC identified, and CISA SSVC explicitly scores Exploitation=none and Automatable=no. The one signal that raises the stakes is SSVC Technical Impact=total, matching the C:H/I:H/A:H full-impact rating: successful exploitation yields complete control of the targeted service context (effectively SYSTEM-level escalation). Net: a high-CVSS flaw whose real-world risk is tempered by the local vector, required prior foothold, high complexity, and absence of any exploitation evidence. It is a reliable second-stage escalation primitive for an attacker already on the host, not an internet-facing emergency. Note one metadata conflict: the input Tags include 'Information Disclosure', but the description and the I:H/A:H impact describe privilege elevation, not disclosure - treat the tag as suspect. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a low-privileged authenticated session on a Windows host (e.g., via phishing, a compromised standard user account, or a prior RCE) runs a local tool that repeatedly races the Clipboard User Service to win a narrow synchronization window on a shared resource. Because attack complexity is high, the attacker must loop the trigger many times until the race is won, after which they gain elevated privileges on the machine. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, so this would require custom tooling. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Clipboard User Service allows an attacker who already holds a low-privileged, authenticated session on a Windows host to win a race condition on an improperly synchronized shared resource and elevate their privileges on that machine. Only local access is viable (AV:L, PR:L) with no user interaction required, and the timing-dependent nature of the flaw (AC:H, SSVC Automatable=no) means exploitation is non-deterministic and typically requires many repeated attempts rather than a reliable one-shot trigger. There is confirmed publicly documented vendor patching but no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the race-condition reliability plus the prerequisite foothold make practical risk more moderate than the 7.0 severity score alone suggests.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches are available per Microsoft's advisory (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85912); apply the current cumulative update for every affected branch so that installations reach or exceed the fixed build levels recorded in the EUVD affected-version data, for example 10.0.14393.9612 for Windows 10 1607 and Server 2016, 10.0.17763.9376 for Windows 10 1809 and Server 2019 (including Server Core), 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2/22H2, 10.0.20348.5761 for Server 2022, 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025 and 10.0.26100.9711 for Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for Windows 11 25H2, 10.0.26300.9711 for Windows 11 26H2, and 10.0.28000.3231 for Windows 11 26H1. Because no patch-level workaround exists for a synchronization defect inside an OS service - and there is no remote or unauthenticated path to block - compensating controls must target the local foothold the exploit requires: remove unnecessary local interactive logon rights ("Allow log on locally"/RDP access) from service, kiosk, and non-administrative accounts, enforce least privilege and just-in-time elevation so that a compromise of a standard user context yields little, and harden endpoints against initial local code execution through application allow-listing and script-host restrictions; each of these restricts legitimate operational flexibility and user workflows, so they are best scoped to high-value or multi-user hosts until patching is complete. Detection should focus on anomalous Clipboard User Service behavior, unexpected process elevation events, and repeated high-frequency clipboard operations from low-privileged processes, since a race-condition exploit often generates timing-loop artifacts rather than a single clean event.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 16 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 classic concurrency defect, CWE-362 (concurrent execution using a shared resource with improper synchronization), in the Windows Clipboard User Service. This component brokers clipboard operations for an interactive session and handles shared clipboard data structures and handles that multiple callers can touch concurrently; when access to that shared state is not properly serialized, a low-privileged local process can interleave its operations with the service's own and cause the service to act on a resource it should not trust. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms the root characteristics: local attack vector, high attack complexity (the race window must be hit), low privileges required, no user interaction, and high but scope-unchanged impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability - meaning a successful race yields meaningful control over the host without crossing a security boundary beyond the local OS. CISA's SSVC assessment (Exploitation: none, Automatable: no, Technical Impact: total) indicates no observed exploitation in the field and that the timing sensitivity resists reliable automation, so this behaves as a research-grade or targeted local escalation rather than a mass-exploitable bug.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only service accessible to any logged-on user (AV:L, PR:L); race condition makes it timing-dependent (AC:H); successful win yields full SYSTEM-level control (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Clipboard User Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Clipboard User Service (CVE-2026-85912) can allow an authenticated local attacker with a low-privileged session to elevate privileges on Windows hosts; no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and patch available per vendor advisory. This mainly affects endpoints or servers where an attacker or malware already has a foothold, potentially enabling broader compromise of that machine. Leadership should prioritize standard patch management while noting the prerequisite local access and unreliable race condition reduce immediate enterprise-wide urgency.
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
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-100052
GHSA-rq9q-cx9m-hgr8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB