Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local access
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DeliveryInvoke crafted GDI operation
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ExploitTrigger buffer over-read in Windows GDI
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ExecutionCorrupt/leak privileged kernel memory
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ImpactElevate to SYSTEM privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Buffer over-read prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already possess authenticated, low-privileged local access to the target Windows host (PR:L, AV:L) - this is a post-compromise privilege-escalation flaw, not a remotely reachable one. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and no special or non-default configuration is indicated by the description, which affects the default Windows GDI graphics component present across all listed client and server editions (including Server Core installations). The primary limiting factor is the local-access prerequisite: an attacker with no foothold cannot reach this vulnerability, and SSVC Automatable=no indicates it is not amenable to automated mass exploitation. |
| Impact | This is a credible but not emergency-level priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8 HIGH) describes a local privilege-escalation flaw: the attacker must already have low-privilege authenticated access (PR:L) and local presence on the host (AV:L), but no user interaction and low attack complexity are required once that foothold exists. CISA's SSVC framework aligns with a measured posture: Exploitation=none (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable=no (consistent with a local EoP that cannot be mass-scanned/wormed), but Technical Impact=total (matching C:H/I:H/A:H and the SSVC 'total' rating). There is no CISA KEV listing and no POC referenced in the provided data, and no EPSS score was supplied, so there is no signal of active or imminent exploitation. The signals are therefore internally consistent rather than conflicting: high technical impact but constrained real-world reachability because it is local-only and requires prior authentication. Net assessment - a standard-cadence patch priority typical of monthly Windows GDI EoP fixes, valuable to attackers as a post-compromise escalation primitive but not a remote-unauthenticated internet-facing threat. Missing data: EPSS probability and any POC status are not provided and cannot be assumed. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained low-privileged code execution on a Windows host (e.g., via phishing or a separate initial-access bug) invokes a crafted operation that triggers the buffer over-read in the GDI component, leveraging the out-of-bounds read to corrupt or disclose adjacent kernel/privileged memory and escalate to higher privileges. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and user interaction is not required (UI:N) once local access is held. Low attack complexity (AC:L) means a working exploit, once developed, would be reliable. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Microsoft Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) allows an authenticated, low-privileged attacker who already holds a foothold on a host to trigger a buffer over-read (CWE-126) and turn that memory-safety defect into higher privileges, carrying a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Every supported Windows client and server edition listed by the vendor is affected, including Server Core installations, but the vector requires the attacker to already have authenticated low-privileged local access (PR:L, AV:L), making this a post-compromise escalation flaw rather than a remotely reachable one, and no user interaction is needed (UI:N). No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, CISA's SSVC assessment records Exploitation:none and Automatable:no, and a vendor patch is available - collectively this is a credible but not emergency-level priority that should be handled in the normal monthly patch cycle.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches are available: apply the current Windows cumulative security update for each affected build, which per the EUVD ranges raises clients and servers to 10.0.26200.9711 (Windows 11 25H2), 10.0.26100.9711 (Windows 11 24H2) or 10.0.26100.33650 (Windows Server 2025), 10.0.22631.7652 (Windows 11 23H2), 10.0.28000.3231 (Windows 11 26H1), 10.0.26300.9711 (Windows 11 26H2), 10.0.19044.7807 (Windows 10 21H2/22H2), 10.0.17763.9376 (Windows 10 1809 and Server 2019), 10.0.14393.9612 (Windows 10 1607 and Server 2016), 10.0.20348.5761 (Server 2022), 6.3.9600.23470 (Server 2012 R2) and 6.2.9200.26434 (Server 2012); consult https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69884 for the exact KB per edition, and note that out-of-support builds such as Server 2012/2012 R2 may require Extended Security Updates to obtain the fix. Because exploitation requires an already-authenticated local user (PR:L, AV:L), there is no network-facing control that eliminates the flaw; instead, shrink the post-compromise path - enforce least privilege so interactive users are not local administrators, restrict interactive/RDP logon on high-value servers to named administrators, and use WDAC/AppLocker in enforce mode to block untrusted binaries that would carry the over-read trigger, accepting the operational overhead of application allow-listing. Disabling GDI or its related graphics subsystems is not a viable workaround since it breaks the Windows shell, printing and most GUI applications, and Microsoft has not published a registry or feature-level mitigation for this issue; prioritize the patch on multi-user systems such as RDP hosts, VDI images and terminal servers where many low-privileged sessions share one kernel, and monitor for the local escalation pattern (unusual win32k/GDI object activity followed by a token or integrity-level change) as a detection backstop while patching rolls out.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
GDI is the long-standing Windows 2D graphics API that applications use to draw to screens, printers and memory bitmaps; much of its object management (device contexts, bitmaps, regions, brushes, fonts) is brokered into kernel-mode win32k components, which is why a memory-safety defect inside GDI can cross a security boundary and be escalated into elevated privileges. The root cause class here is CWE-126, Buffer Over-read: code reads past the end of a buffer that was allocated or validated on the assumption of different length or index bounds, so out-of-bounds adjacent memory is consumed as legitimate data. Over-reads are classically information-disclosure primitives (they can leak neighbouring heap contents, including pointers), but Microsoft's vector rates both confidentiality and integrity as High (C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating the read data is subsequently processed in a way that corrupts program state and can be steered toward code execution or privilege escalation. The CVSS vector PR:L/AV:L confirms the attacker must already be running as an authenticated low-privileged user on the target machine, and the absence of a changed-scope marker (S:U) plus SSVC Technical Impact:total indicates the escalation is contained within the affected Windows component but grants broad control once achieved. CISA's SSVC also rates Automatable:no, meaning the flaw is not readily packaged into automated, mass-exploitation tooling.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local post-authentication EoP so AV:L and PR:L; no user interaction (UI:N); low complexity (AC:L); SSVC 'total' technical impact supports C:H/I:H/A:H within an unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Buffer over-read in Windows GDI allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity local privilege escalation flaw in Microsoft Windows' Graphics Device Interface (GDI) affects every supported Windows client and Server edition, including Server Core. Exploitation requires an attacker to already hold authenticated low-privileged access on a machine, meaning this is a post-compromise escalation risk rather than a remotely reachable one; a compromised laptop, VDI session, or server foothold could be leveraged to gain administrative control of that host. Leadership should care because this flaw can turn a minor single-host intrusion into full system takeover, but with no public exploit code identified and a vendor patch available, it is a routine patch-cycle priority rather than an emergency.
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
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EUVD-2026-100115
GHSA-j979-vpmf-8w6v
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB