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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged local access
  2. Delivery
    Craft malicious serialized object
  3. Exploit
    Feed untrusted data to Media Foundation
  4. Execution
    Trigger unsafe deserialization (CWE-502)
  5. Impact
    Execute code as SYSTEM

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Safe deserialization, type allowlists
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access

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 possess authenticated, low-privileged local access to the target Windows system (AV:L, PR:L) and the ability to supply untrusted serialized data that Windows Media Foundation will deserialize (CWE-502). No user interaction is required (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L), so once local access exists the escalation is reliable. Limiting factors: this cannot be launched remotely or by an unauthenticated actor - it is strictly a post-compromise privilege-escalation step - and it only affects the Windows builds below the fixed versions listed in EUVD (e.g. Windows 11 24H2 below 10.0.26100.9711, Server 2022 below 10.0.20348.5761); patched systems are not exploitable.

Impact

This is a genuine but not emergency-tier priority. The provided 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 classic local privilege-escalation primitive: the attacker must already have a foothold (AV:L) and some level of authorization (PR:L, i.e. an authenticated/low-privileged local account), but the attack is low-complexity, requires no user interaction, and yields full confidentiality, integrity and availability impact on the host. No EPSS score was provided, so statistical exploitation probability cannot be weighed. KEV status is not indicated in the input, so there is no confirmed active exploitation, and no POC was supplied - therefore exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The signals are internally consistent (local vector, requires prior access, SYSTEM-level impact typical of Media Foundation EoP bugs), so there is no contradiction to flag. The practical read: this is a dependable second-stage escalation tool that attackers chain after initial access rather than a mass-exploitable remote hole, and its priority is driven far more by the ubiquity of Windows and the deserialization (CWE-502) code-execution potential than by any current exploitation evidence.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already gained a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host (via phishing, a prior RCE, or stolen credentials) triggers Media Foundation to deserialize attacker-controlled untrusted data, abusing the CWE-502 flaw to run code in a higher-privileged context and obtain SYSTEM. Because AC:L and UI:N, the escalation is reliable and needs no victim interaction. No public exploit code was identified at the time of analysis, so this reflects the plausible path rather than a known in-the-wild chain.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 1.7% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Media Foundation lets an authenticated, low-privileged attacker who already has a foothold on the host run code at higher integrity by supplying specially crafted serialized data that Media Foundation deserializes. Under the assessed vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) no user interaction is needed and the escalation is reliable once local access exists, but the bug cannot be triggered remotely or by an unauthenticated actor, making it strictly a post-compromise escalation step. Microsoft has published a fix through its update guide, and no public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft vendor patch, which is available per the MSRC update guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96186); install the update that brings each system to or above its branch fix build - Windows 11 23H2 10.0.22631.7652, 24H2 10.0.26100.9711, 25H2 10.0.26200.9711, 26H2 10.0.26300.9711, 26H1 10.0.28000.3231; Windows 10 1607 10.0.14393.9612, 1809 10.0.17763.9376, 21H2/22H2 10.0.19044.7807; Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.26434, 2012 R2 6.3.9600.23470, 2016 10.0.14393.9612, 2019 10.0.17763.9376, 2022 10.0.20348.5761 and 2025 10.0.26100.33650. Because exploitation requires pre-existing authenticated local access, the most effective compensating controls until patching completes are to minimize the number of low-privileged interactive and RDP-capable accounts on affected hosts and restrict who can log on locally (reduces the attacker population that can reach the vulnerable code path, at the cost of administrative convenience), tighten Application Control/AppLocker or WDAC policies to block execution of untrusted binaries and media-handling tools that could feed crafted serialized data to Media Foundation (possible side effect: legitimate custom media applications may be blocked and require allow-listing), and monitor endpoint telemetry for unusual media-file processing or privilege-escalation attempts originating from non-administrative sessions. Note that disabling Media Foundation or its codecs outright breaks media playback and capture on the host, so it should be considered only as a last resort on high-value servers that do not require media functionality. Applying the monthly cumulative update is the only complete fix; no vendor workaround supersedes it.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0 <10.0.26300.9711
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows 10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.3231
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9711
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9711
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7652

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1607 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_11_version_23h2 fix: 10.0.22631.7652
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.9711
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.9711
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.3231
euvd windows_11_version_26h2 fix: 10.0.26300.9711
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 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 flaw is a deserialization-of-untrusted-data issue (CWE-502) in the Windows Media Foundation, the component stack that underpins media parsing, decoding and playback across Windows. Media Foundation processes complex container metadata, codec parameters and serialized object graphs derived from media content; when the pipeline deserializes attacker-controlled data without validating that the resulting object types are expected or safe, an attacker can influence object construction and gain code execution in the context of the privileged process handling the media. Because the assessed CVSS vector requires local access with low privileges (AV:L, PR:L) and no user interaction (UI:N) while granting high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact (C:H/I:H/A:H), the practical risk is privilege escalation from a compromised low-privileged session to a higher-integrity context such as SYSTEM or an administrative service. Affected builds span the Windows 10, Windows 11 (23H2 through 26H2/26H1) and Windows Server (2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025 and their Server Core variants) product lines, each with its own fixed build number; patched systems are not exploitable.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local privilege-escalation requiring an existing low-privileged account gives AV:L and PR:L with AC:L/UI:N, and deserialization-to-SYSTEM yields full C:H/I:H/A:H.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:21 cve.org
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Deserialization of untrusted data in Microsoft Windows Media Foundation allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Media Foundation (CVE-2026-96186) allows an authenticated, low-privileged attacker who already has a foothold on a host to elevate to higher integrity levels. Because exploitation requires existing local access and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, the immediate organizational risk is limited to environments where attackers have already compromised a system. Leadership should prioritize patching as part of routine vulnerability management to prevent attackers from deepening their access after an initial breach.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.7%
Top 24% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Media Foundation ships in virtually all supported Windows client and server editions
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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.7%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

41
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +2
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Insecure deserialization occurs when an application converts serialized data (a stream of bytes representing an object's state) back into a living object without proper validation.

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