Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local account
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DeliveryInvoke USB Print Driver code path
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free race
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ExecutionReclaim freed kernel object
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ImpactExecute code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the attacker to already have local code execution on the host with a valid low-privileged account (AV:L, PR:L) and to interact with the Windows USB Print Driver component. Exploitation is further limited by a high-complexity race condition (AC:H) inherent to the use-after-free, meaning the attacker must reliably win a timing window and reclaim the freed kernel object to achieve escalation; no user interaction is needed (UI:N). It is a post-compromise escalation primitive, not a remote entry point, and affects default Windows installations containing the USB Print Driver on the enumerated vulnerable builds. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-priority local privilege escalation in the Windows USB Print Driver (CWE-416 use-after-free), rated CVSS 7.0 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The vector shows the real limiting factors clearly: AV:L means the attacker must already execute code on the host, PR:L means they need an existing low-privileged account, and AC:H indicates a hard-to-win condition typical of UAF race windows, all of which cap the true risk well below the full-CIA impact (C:H/I:H/A:H, scope unchanged). No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code were provided, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. No SSVC decision data was supplied. Net: a genuine kernel-level EoP worth patching across Windows fleets, but not an emergency - it is a post-compromise escalation primitive requiring local access, valid credentials, and a successfully-won race, not a trivial remote bug. The 'Denial Of Service' tag partially conflicts with the stated impact (the description describes privilege elevation, not availability loss); the A:H metric makes a crash plausible, but the primary consequence is EoP. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged user who already has code execution on a Windows host (e.g., via a standard user account or prior foothold) runs a crafted program that interacts with the USB Print Driver to trigger the use-after-free. By winning a timing race and reclaiming the freed kernel object, the attacker reuses the dangling pointer to corrupt kernel memory and elevate to SYSTEM. No public proof-of-concept was provided in the intelligence, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) means exploitation is not guaranteed on each attempt. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows USB Print Driver (usbprint) lets an attacker who already holds a low-privileged local account corrupt kernel memory via a use-after-free and escalate to full system-level code execution on affected Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server builds. The flaw is a race-condition-driven memory corruption (CWE-416, high attack complexity) that requires the attacker to win a timing window and reclaim a freed kernel object, so it functions as a post-compromise escalation primitive rather than a remote entry point; exploitation is rated CVSS 7.0 with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. No public exploit code exists for this issue and it is not confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV); Microsoft has released updates addressing the affected builds.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: install the current Microsoft cumulative update for each affected branch so the build reaches or exceeds the fixed levels published for this CVE, namely 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2/22H2, 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.9711 for Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for Windows 11 25H2, 10.0.28000.3231 for Windows 11 26H1, 10.0.26300.9711 for Windows 11 26H2, 10.0.20348.5761 for Windows Server 2022, and 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core); confirm the applicable update at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96310. Where patching must be staged, compensating controls can reduce exposure but each carries trade-offs: apply Device Installation Restrictions or an AppLocker/WDAC or Intune policy to block the USB Print Driver from loading on hosts that never print over USB, accepting that USB-attached printers will stop functioning; or disable the USB printing device class via Group Policy for the same subset of endpoints. Because the vector is AV:L/PR:L, the most effective secondary controls are reducing the local attack surface - enforce least privilege, remove unnecessary local interactive/admin accounts, and restrict who can log on locally to servers - while increasing monitoring for anomalous kernel memory corruption and unexpected process token elevation. Note that the driver is kernel-mode, so simply stopping the Print Spooler service will not remove this specific attack surface, and none of the workarounds address the underlying race condition as reliably as the vendor update.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 10 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 is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows USB Print Driver, a kernel-mode component that brokers communication between the print spooler stack and USB-attached printers. Because the driver runs at ring 0, a successfully reclaimed freed object can be steered into attacker-controlled kernel memory, yielding memory corruption that enables token theft or arbitrary kernel-mode execution and, ultimately, SYSTEM privileges. Exploitation hinges on a race condition (AC:H): the attacker must repeatedly trigger the free path and reliably reallocate the freed object within the timing window, which makes exploitation probabilistic rather than deterministic but still impactful given the C:H/I:H/A:H, S:U scoring. The CVSS vector AV:L/PR:L/UI:N confirms the attacker must already have local code execution under a valid low-privileged account and needs no user interaction; the associated memory-corruption and denial-of-service tags reflect that failed reclamation attempts degrade system stability. Affected platforms span the Windows 10 21H2/22H2, Windows 11 23H2/24H2/25H2/26H1/26H2, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core) servicing lines, i.e. essentially any default installation with the USB Print Driver present.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only UAF escalation from an existing low-privileged account (AV:L/PR:L), with AC:H for the race-condition window; successful kernel compromise yields full C:H/I:H/A:H with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows USB Print Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows USB Print Driver affects Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server builds, allowing a local user with limited access to gain SYSTEM-level control of the host. This matters because a compromised workstation or server could be turned into a fully controlled platform for data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement; no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Leadership should prioritize patching to prevent a minor foothold from becoming a system-wide 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
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EUVD-2026-100215
GHSA-m98c-3j28-qf67
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB