Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessObtain local low-privileged session
-
DeliveryExecute crafted program targeting DWM
-
ExploitTrigger out-of-bounds read in DWM Core Library
-
ExecutionCorrupt memory to run code as SYSTEM
-
ImpactFull privilege escalation on host
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, read limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already have a local, interactive or authenticated low-privileged session on the target Windows host (PR:L, AV:L) and the ability to execute code that invokes the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library - a component active on standard Windows desktop sessions and RDP session hosts. No user interaction is required (UI:N) and complexity is low (AC:L), but the vulnerability cannot be reached remotely or from an unauthenticated position, which meaningfully limits exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained an initial foothold (e.g., malware, a compromised standard account, or multi-user/shared hosts). Patched builds per the Microsoft advisory (e.g., Windows 11 24H2 >=10.0.26100.9711, Server 2025 >=10.0.26100.33650, Server 2019/Windows 10 1809 >=10.0.17763.9376) are not vulnerable. |
| Impact | This is a credible but not emergency-grade priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 7.8 HIGH) describes a local, low-complexity privilege escalation requiring an already-authenticated low-privileged attacker - consistent with the description's 'authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.' CISA's SSVC framework reinforces a measured posture: Exploitation=none (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable=no (requires local foothold and cannot be mass-sprayed), but Technical Impact=total (successful exploitation yields full control, matching the C:H/I:H/A:H and typical DWM-to-SYSTEM escalation). No KEV listing and no POC are indicated in the input, and no EPSS score was provided, so the probabilistic exploitation signal is simply absent rather than low. The signals are internally consistent: high technical impact but gated behind local access and prior authentication, and no evidence of active exploitation. Treat as an important patch-cycle item (especially on multi-user/shared or kiosk hosts and RDP session hosts where low-priv users are present), not a drop-everything zero-day. EPSS data is missing from the input and should be checked before final prioritization. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged user (or malware already running under a standard account) executes a crafted program that drives the Windows DWM Core Library into an out-of-bounds read, corrupting adjacent state to hijack execution in a higher-privileged context. The result is escalation to SYSTEM, enabling full control of the host. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis, and local access plus an existing user session are prerequisites. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library allows a low-privileged attacker who already holds an interactive or authenticated session on a Windows host to trigger an out-of-bounds read in the compositor and elevate to a higher-integrity context. CVSS 3.1 rates it 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H): no user interaction or remote reach is required, but the local authenticated session is a hard prerequisite, which confines exposure to hosts where an attacker has already gained an initial foothold. Microsoft has released patch builds for all affected servicing branches and there is no public exploit code identified at time of analysis; CISA SSVC records Exploitation: none and Automatable: no, making this a credible but not emergency-grade priority rather than an actively exploited Windows elevation-of-privilege bug.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for the relevant servicing branch; patched builds confirmed in the advisory data are Windows 11 24H2 at 10.0.26100.9711 or later, Windows 11 25H2 at 10.0.26200.9711 or later, Windows 11 26H2 at 10.0.26300.9711 or later, Windows 11 23H2 at 10.0.22631.7652 or later, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 at 10.0.19044.7807 or later, Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 1809 at 10.0.17763.9376 or later, Windows Server 2022 at 10.0.20348.5761 or later, and Windows Server 2025 at 10.0.26100.33650 or later, all obtainable through the MSRC update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88181. There is no supported way to disable or unload the DWM compositor on Windows 10/11 or Server builds, so no configuration workaround removes the vulnerable code path, and any claim that composition can be turned off should be rejected as ineffective on these versions. Because exploitation requires an existing low-privileged local session, the realistic compensating controls are those that deny the prerequisite: enforce least privilege and remove unnecessary local administrator rights so a compromised standard account cannot reach an elevated target context, apply WDAC or AppLocker to block untrusted local execution, restrict interactive logon and multi-user or RDP session hosting on sensitive servers to reduce the number of accounts that can hold an interactive session, and enable exploit-protection mitigations such as Control Flow Guard and Code Integrity Guard for dwm.exe where your change-control process permits - noting that aggressive mitigation settings on a system-critical compositor process carry a risk of application incompatibility or display-stability issues. Detection should focus on dwm.exe crash dumps and anomalous child or injected processes from the compositor, since a successful OOB read is likely to leave fault telemetry behind, and note that since CISA SSVC marks this as non-automatable, broad opportunistic mass exploitation is not the expected pattern.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 12 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 Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) is the Windows compositor that has handled window surface composition, rendering and window-manager inter-process communication since Windows Vista, and it runs at a higher integrity level than ordinary user processes; on Windows 8 and later desktop composition is mandatory and cannot be turned off. Applications interact with it through the DWM API and window-manager messaging, and the DWM Core Library is the shared code path that parses and processes those attacker-influenceable inputs. The root cause class here is CWE-125 (out-of-bounds read): a length or bounds check is missing or incorrect, so the library reads past the end of an allocated buffer while handling DWM-related input. Microsoft classifies the result as Elevation of Privilege while the accompanying tags include Buffer Overflow and Information Disclosure, and the CVSS C:H/I:H/A:H triad indicates the out-of-bounds read is assessed as producing total technical impact rather than a pure information leak - consistent with an OOB read used as a memory-disclosure or memory-state primitive in a local attack chain inside the compositor process. The EUVD affected-version data shows the same DWM Core component shipping across Windows 10 (1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H2) and Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025 (including Server Core), meaning the fix must be applied per servicing branch. No CPE identifiers were supplied with this record.
Know when Windows gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local privilege escalation reachable only from an authenticated low-privileged session (AV:L, PR:L), no interaction or scope change, yielding full SYSTEM-level C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Out-of-bounds read in Windows DWM Core Library allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library contains a high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-88181) that could allow an attacker with an existing low-privileged session to gain higher-integrity access on affected Windows hosts. Organizations with unpatched endpoints or servers are exposed, though the attack requires a local foothold and no public exploit code has been identified. Leadership should direct patch deployment to reduce the risk of privilege escalation following an initial compromise.
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.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Unauthenticated remote code execution in SmarterTools SmarterMail lets an attacker upload arbitrary files to any locatio
Windows Win32k fails to properly handle objects in memory, allowing local privilege escalation exploited in the wild in
A privilege escalation vulnerability (CVSS 5.5). Risk factors: actively exploited (KEV-listed), EPSS 94% exploitation pr
Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables
Windows SMB contains an improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33073, CVSS 8.8) enabling authenticated attacker
Twonky Server 8.5.2 on Linux and Windows allows unauthenticated access to the admin log file through a web service API b
An unrestricted file upload vulnerability exists in MiniWeb HTTP Server <= Build 300 that allows unauthenticated remote
FreeFloat FTP Server contains multiple critical design flaws that allow unauthenticated remote attackers to upload arbit
Serviio Media Server versions 1.4 through 1.8 on Windows contain an unauthenticated command injection in the /rest/actio
Twonky Server 8.5.2 uses hard-coded cryptographic keys for encrypting the administrator password. Combined with the cred
Mako Server versions 2.5 and 2.6 contain an unauthenticated OS command injection via the tutorial interface at examples/
React Native Metro Development Server binds to external interfaces by default and contains an OS command injection endpo
EUVD-2026-100109
GHSA-9g9p-vgq9-mmcc
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB