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Windows DNS Server EUVDEUVD-2026-100157

| CVE-2026-88125 MEDIUM
Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-vh7h-c763-59r2
6.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege network access
  2. Exploit
    Send crafted DNS request to server
  3. Execution
    Trigger out-of-bounds read in DNS parser
  4. Impact
    Crash DNS service and deny resolution

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 target host to be running the Windows DNS Server role and reachable over the network, and the attacker must hold valid low-privilege credentials/authorization (CVSS PR:L) to deliver the malicious DNS traffic - it is not exploitable by a fully unauthenticated remote attacker. Affected builds are specific Windows Server releases below the patched versions (e.g., Windows Server 2022 <10.0.20348.5761, 2019 <10.0.17763.9376, 2016 <10.0.14393.9612, 2025 <10.0.26100.33650, 2012/2012 R2 pre-patch, including Server Core installations). Limiting factors: the required authentication level narrows the attacker population to insiders or those with a foothold, impact is confined to availability (service denial) with no data exposure or code execution, scope is unchanged (S:U), and a vendor patch is available to remediate.

Impact

This is a moderate-severity, availability-only vulnerability whose real-world priority is low-to-moderate despite affecting a critical network role. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, base 6.5) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity attack that requires low-privilege authentication (PR:L) and produces only a denial-of-service impact (A:H) with no confidentiality or integrity loss (C:N/I:N). CISA's SSVC framework reinforces a non-urgent posture: Exploitation=none (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable=no (cannot be reliably mass-exploited), and Technical Impact=partial. No EPSS score was provided in the input and the CVE is not on the CISA KEV list, so there is no public exploitation probability or active-exploitation signal to elevate it. Taken together, the signals are internally consistent - this is a genuine but bounded DoS risk, not a high-urgency compromise vector. One cross-source conflict exists: the input Tags list 'Information Disclosure,' which directly contradicts the CVSS vector's C:N (no confidentiality impact) and the CWE-125 out-of-bounds read that here manifests as a crash/service denial rather than data leakage - verify against the Microsoft MSRC advisory, as the tag appears mislabeled.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already holds low-privilege authenticated access on the network sends specially crafted DNS queries or data to a Windows DNS Server, triggering an out-of-bounds read that crashes or hangs the service and denies name resolution to dependent clients. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and the low attack complexity means a working trigger would be straightforward for an attacker who can reach the service.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 1.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026

Denial of service in the Windows DNS Server role affects Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 (including Server Core installations), where an attacker who already holds valid low-privilege credentials (CVSS PR:L) can send specially crafted DNS traffic over the network that triggers an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) and takes the DNS service down. Impact is availability-only: confidentiality and integrity are both rated None, scope is unchanged, and the CVSS 3.1 score is 6.5. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and CISA's SSVC assessment records exploitation as none and automatable as no, so the practical priority is moderate and driven by the criticality of the DNS role rather than by observed attacks.

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-88125 as documented in the MSRC update guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88125); the fixed build levels to verify after patching are 6.2.9200.26434 for Windows Server 2012, 6.3.9600.23470 for Windows Server 2012 R2, 10.0.14393.9612 for Windows Server 2016, 10.0.17763.9376 for Windows Server 2019, 10.0.20348.5761 for Windows Server 2022, and 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025, with the same builds covering the Server Core installations of those releases. Because exploitation requires low-privilege credentials and network reachability to the DNS service, interim compensating controls are to restrict TCP/UDP port 53 access on affected servers to known recursive resolvers and authoritative clients via host firewall or network ACLs (trade-off: legitimate clients outside the allowlist lose resolution until added), to retire or tightly scope stale accounts and any delegated DNS permissions on the host since PR:L privileges are the gating requirement (trade-off: administrative overhead and possible disruption of legitimate delegated administration), and to monitor the DNS Server event log and the service's crash/restart behavior for repeated unexpected terminations that would indicate attempted denial of service (trade-off: only detective, not preventive, and noisy on already-unstable hosts). Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 are long past mainstream support, so confirm the update is actually offered for those branches and treat any that are not receiving fixes as candidates for migration or isolation rather than relying on indefinite mitigation.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376

Affected Packages

euvd windows_server_2012 fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2012_r2 fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_r2_server_core_installation fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_server_core_installation fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2016 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_server_2016_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_server_2019 fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_server_2019_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5761
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.33650
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.33650

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 11 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 sits in the Windows DNS Server role's handling of DNS wire-format messages. An out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) means the service indexes or copies data beyond the end of an allocated buffer while parsing attacker-influenced input; because the DNS Server runs as a system service and processes queries and updates from the network, such a read typically manifests as an access violation that terminates or destabilizes the service, which is what produces the availability-only impact in the assessed vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H). The accompanying tags for this record mention "Buffer Overflow" and "Information Disclosure"; the information-disclosure label reflects the general class of memory over-reads, but the assessed and vendor vectors both score confidentiality as None, so no confirmed memory-leak-to-attacker outcome should be assumed. The required PR:L component is significant: the description's "authorized attacker" wording means the adversary must already hold valid low-privilege credentials or an equivalent authorized position on the network to deliver the malicious traffic, placing the practical threat model closer to an insider or a post-foothold actor than to an anonymous internet scanner. Affected builds span the modern Windows Server line (10.0.20348.x, 10.0.17763.x, 10.0.14393.x, 10.0.26100.x) plus the legacy 6.2.9200.x and 6.3.9600.x branches, and the SSVC technical-impact rating of "partial" plus "automatable: no" reinforces that this is not a wormable or trivially scriptable condition.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 6.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Network-reachable DNS service (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) but requiring low-privilege authorization (PR:L); impact is availability-only denial of service (A:H, C/I:N).

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:21 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.5

DescriptionCVE.org

Out-of-bounds read in DNS Server allows an authorized attacker to deny service over a network.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.1%
Top 35% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Windows Server DNS role is widely deployed across enterprise and AD environments
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

33
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +32
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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