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Microsoft WSL EUVDEUVD-2026-100195

| CVE-2026-96206 MEDIUM
Use of Uninitialized Resource (CWE-908)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-qc8g-6hxj-5fhr
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 local authenticated session on Windows host
  2. Exploit
    Invoke vulnerable WSL2 code path
  3. Execution
    Read returned uninitialized resource/memory
  4. Impact
    Disclose cross-boundary sensitive information

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Variable initialization
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local access to a Windows host that has the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) component installed and running a build earlier than 3.0.1, plus an existing authorized/authenticated local session (CVSS PR:L) - it is not remotely reachable and needs no user interaction. The key limiting factors are: WSL2 must be present and enabled (an opt-in Windows feature, not active on default consumer installs), the attacker must already have a foothold as a local authorized user, and only confidentiality is affected (no integrity or availability impact). The disclosure stems from use of an uninitialized resource (CWE-908), so impact depends on whatever residual data happens to occupy that memory, making the leak opportunistic rather than precisely controllable.

Impact

This is a moderate, locally-exploitable information disclosure flaw that signals a patch-management priority rather than an emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, base 6.5) is internally consistent: exploitation requires local access and some level of existing authorization (PR:L), has low attack complexity, needs no user interaction, and yields high confidentiality impact with a scope change (S:C) - meaning the leaked uninitialized memory can cross a security boundary (e.g. from the WSL guest/user context into data it should not see). All exploitation signals point the same direction and reinforce a low-urgency reading: CISA SSVC reports Exploitation=none, Automatable=no, and Technical Impact=partial, and there is no CISA KEV listing and no public POC. No EPSS score was supplied in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified here. There is no conflict between the signals - local vector, partial impact, no automation, and no observed exploitation all agree this is a real-but-low real-world risk, appropriate for routine patching rather than out-of-band response.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local authenticated user on a Windows host running a vulnerable WSL2 build (prior to 3.0.1) triggers the affected WSL code path that returns uninitialized memory, reading back residual data the operating system failed to clear. Because the scope is changed (S:C), the leaked contents may originate from a more privileged or separate security context, aiding further reconnaissance. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and exploitation requires low complexity but local access.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026

Local information disclosure in Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) allows an already-authenticated local user on a Windows host running WSL2 builds earlier than 3.0.1 to read residual memory contents left by an uninitialized resource (CWE-908). The flaw is not remotely reachable and requires no user interaction, but it is gated behind local authenticated access (CVSS PR:L) and the presence of the opt-in WSL2 feature, and it affects confidentiality only - integrity and availability are untouched, with the leaked data being opportunistic rather than precisely attacker-controlled. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis (CISA SSVC exploitation: none), and patch availability per vendor advisory makes this a patch-management priority rather than an emergency.

RemediationAI

Apply Microsoft's fix for CVE-2026-96206 as directed by the MSRC update guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96206); patch status is Patch available per vendor advisory, and EUVD's affected range of WSL2 builds below 3.0.1 indicates that 3.0.1 or later is the reference remediated level, though the exact patched build number should be confirmed against the vendor advisory before treating a host as fixed. If patching must be deferred, the most effective compensating control is to remove the attack surface entirely where WSL is not needed by uninstalling or disabling the optional feature (dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux followed by a reboot), with the trade-off that all Linux workloads and developer tooling on that host stop working. For hosts that must retain WSL, restrict execution to trusted users through AppLocker or WDAC rules that block or tightly scope wsl.exe, wslhost.exe, wslg.exe and wslconfig.exe, and use Group Policy to prevent standard users from enabling WSL or installing distributions; this narrows the population that can reach the bug but does not eliminate it, since any permitted WSL user already holds the local authenticated access the flaw requires, and overly tight rules can break legitimate development workflows. Because exploitation depends on an existing local authenticated session, tightening host access and auditing for unprivileged local processes invoking the WSL service are useful detections while the update rolls out.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) 5.0.0.0 <3.0.1

Affected Packages

euvd windows_subsystem_for_linux_wsl2 fix: 3.0.1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) is an optional Windows feature that pairs a lightweight Hyper-V utility VM running a genuine Linux kernel with host-side Windows services and drivers - the WSL service, the WSL VM bus/hvsocket plumbing, 9p/virtio file-sharing, and the wsl.exe/wslhost.exe front ends - that broker filesystem, network, and process interop between the Linux guest and the Windows host. The root cause is CWE-908, Use of Uninitialized Resource: a buffer or structure is consumed before it has been fully initialized, so whatever residual bytes already occupy that memory, potentially host-side or cross-boundary data, can be returned to the caller. That maps cleanly to the assessed vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N - scope-changed with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact - and to the CWE class itself, which explains why the usefulness of the leak depends on what happens to be sitting in the uninitialized memory rather than on attacker-controlled input. EUVD identifies the affected component as WSL2 in the reported range 'Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) 5.0.0.0 <3.0.1', and the local, low-privilege, no-user-interaction vector is consistent with the independent assessment that this is an opportunistic local disclosure rather than a remotely triggerable data theft.

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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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Local-only WSL feature requires an authorized session so AV:L and PR:L; uninitialized-memory leak crosses a trust boundary (S:C) with high confidentiality and no integrity/availability impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

Use of uninitialized resource in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an authorized attacker to disclose information locally.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 68% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
opt-in Windows developer feature, common on dev machines, not every host
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
4 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 0.4%
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

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

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