Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local code execution
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free race in Windows TCP/IP
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ExecutionReclaim freed kernel object with controlled data
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ImpactCorrupt kernel memory and execute 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, authenticated, low-privileged execution on the target Windows host (PR:L, AV:L) - there is no remote or network-facing vector despite TCP/IP being the affected component. No user interaction is needed (UI:N). The decisive limiting factor is the high attack complexity (AC:H): the use-after-free is a race condition the attacker must reliably win, and SSVC rates it non-automatable, so exploitation is timing-dependent and not guaranteed per attempt. No special product feature or non-default configuration is required - the TCP/IP stack is present and active in all default Windows installations - so the realistic gate is obtaining the initial local foothold and winning the race, not any opt-in setting. |
| Impact | Signals point to a moderate-priority patch rather than an emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U, 7.0 High) describes a LOCAL privilege-escalation requiring an already-authenticated low-privileged user (PR:L) and high attack complexity (AC:H) - consistent with a kernel use-after-free race condition that an attacker must reliably win. Despite full technical impact (C:H/I:H/A:H; SSVC Technical Impact: total), the exploitation signals are weak: SSVC Exploitation is 'none', Automatable is 'no', KEV status is not listed (no confirmed active exploitation), and no public exploit is identified. EPSS probability is NOT provided in the input, so likelihood of near-term exploitation cannot be quantified - this is a gap. The AC:H plus non-automatable rating means any attack is costly and targeted, not wormable. However, the affected component (Windows TCP/IP, present on every supported Windows client and server build) gives this enormous deployment aggregate risk, so it warrants prompt patching even though it is not a drop-everything emergency. Note the 'Denial Of Service' tag conflicts with the description/vector, which describe privilege elevation with full CIA impact, not availability loss alone - treat the DoS tag with caution. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local, low-privileged user (e.g., a logged-in standard user or code running in a restricted process) repeatedly triggers the vulnerable Windows TCP/IP code path to win a use-after-free race condition, reclaiming the freed kernel object with attacker-controlled data to corrupt kernel memory and elevate to SYSTEM. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) means the race must be won reliably, making real-world exploitation non-trivial and likely targeted. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows TCP/IP stack (CVE-2026-96852, CVSS 7.0) allows an attacker who already holds authenticated, low-privileged code execution on a Windows host to trigger a use-after-free in kernel TCP/IP handling and elevate to SYSTEM privileges. The access vector is strictly local (AV:L/PR:L) with no user interaction, but the decisive constraint is high attack complexity (AC:H) - the flaw is a race condition that must be won reliably, and CISA's SSVC assessment rates it non-automatable with exploitation status 'none', so signals point to a moderate-priority patch rather than an emergency. Microsoft has published a vendor fix through its Update Guide; no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: Microsoft has released fixes for this issue, and the EUVD affected-range data indicates the remediated update levels per branch - for example Windows 11 24H2/25H2/26H2 at 10.0.26100.9711, 10.0.26200.9711 and 10.0.26300.9711, Windows 11 23H2 at 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 26H1 at 10.0.28000.3231, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 at 10.0.19044.7807, Windows Server 2025 at 10.0.26100.33650, Windows Server 2022 at 10.0.20348.5761, Windows Server 2019 at 10.0.17763.9376, Windows Server 2016 at 10.0.14393.9612 and Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 at 6.2.9200.26434 and 6.3.9600.23470; apply the corresponding cumulative update via Windows Update, WSUS or the Microsoft Update Catalog and follow the MSRC guidance at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96852, noting that kernel updates require a reboot to take effect. Because the attack requires an existing local, low-privileged foothold, the most effective compensating controls until patching completes are to reduce the population of accounts permitted local interactive or RDP logon, and to constrain what those accounts can execute using Windows Defender Application Control, AppLocker or similar allowlisting so that untrusted binaries cannot be run by standard users - the trade-off is administrative overhead and the risk of breaking legitimate line-of-business applications that fall outside the allowlist. Monitor for anomalous token elevation to SYSTEM or unexpected process creation from low-integrity parents as a detection backstop. Purely network-side mitigations are not effective here: disabling IPv6, restricting ports or tightening firewall rules does not remove the local attack surface, since the vulnerable TCP/IP driver remains loaded and reachable to any local caller.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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 vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows TCP/IP component, the kernel-mode networking driver that implements the TCP/IP protocol suite for all Windows SKUs. Use-after-free flaws occur when memory allocated for an object is freed while a reference to it remains live; a subsequent access to that stale pointer lets an attacker redirect execution or corrupt adjacent kernel structures, which in a kernel driver translates into privilege escalation to SYSTEM. Consistent with a race-condition class, the CVSS vector carries AC:H, meaning the attacker must time memory reclamation and reuse precisely rather than exploiting a deterministic code path, and SSVC marks the issue non-automatable for the same reason. Tags attached to the CVE include Denial Of Service, Use After Free, Memory Corruption and Microsoft, indicating the same primitive can crash (BSOD) the host as well as elevate privileges. Notably, although the affected component is the network stack, this is not a remote or network-facing vulnerability: the exploit path is entirely local (AV:L, PR:L, UI:N) and depends on an attacker having already obtained a foothold on the machine; the TCP/IP driver is present and active in every default Windows installation, so no opt-in feature or non-default configuration gates exploitation beyond initial access and winning the race.
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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 kernel UAF (AV:L) exploited via a race the attacker must win (AC:H) from an authenticated low-privileged account (PR:L); successful EoP to SYSTEM yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows TCP/IP allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Windows environments face a moderate-priority patching obligation for CVE-2026-96852, a local privilege-escalation issue that can turn a limited foothold into full system control. Because the flaw requires an attacker to already have authenticated access and overcome a complex race condition, the immediate business risk is concentrated in unpatched, multi-user or high-value Windows systems rather than broad opportunistic exploitation.
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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NVD
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EPSS
Vulnrichment
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