Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local foothold
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DeliveryCraft malicious input to kernel driver
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ExploitTrigger integer overflow (CWE-190)
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ExecutionCorrupt kernel memory
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ImpactExecute code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Integer overflow checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution 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 have authenticated local access with at least low privileges (CVSS PR:L) on the target Windows system and the ability to execute code that reaches the vulnerable kernel-mode driver interface; there is no remote or network path (AV:L) and no user interaction is needed (UI:N). The limiting factors are therefore the need for an existing local foothold and valid (even low-privileged) credentials or a running process context - this is a second-stage escalation primitive, not a standalone remote entry point. No special non-default product configuration is identified in the available data; the affected component is a standard Windows kernel driver present across the listed client and server builds. |
| Impact | This is a credible, patch-now local privilege escalation rather than a hypothetical issue, but it is not an internet-facing emergency. The CVSS 3.1 base of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) tells a consistent story: an attacker who already has a foothold with low privileges (PR:L) can, with low complexity and no user interaction, integer-overflow a Windows kernel-mode driver (CWE-190) to gain full confidentiality, integrity and availability impact - i.e. SYSTEM-level code execution. The signals do not conflict with the description: both point to local, authenticated, kernel EoP. However, several key triage signals are MISSING from the input: no EPSS probability was provided, there is no CISA KEV listing, and no POC/exploit-code indicator is present, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis'. Because kernel EoP bugs are classic second-stage tools (chained after initial access or in sandbox escapes) and this affects the near-universal Windows platform, it warrants prompt patching despite the local-only vector - but absent EPSS/KEV data there is no evidence of active or widespread exploitation, so it should be prioritized as a standard Patch-Tuesday-class kernel EoP rather than an actively-exploited zero-day. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already obtained a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host - via phishing, a compromised service account, or a sandboxed/second-stage payload - invokes the vulnerable kernel-mode driver with crafted input that triggers an integer overflow. The overflow corrupts kernel memory in a way that yields SYSTEM-level execution, completing a local escalation of privilege. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and because the CVSS vector is AV:L, the attacker must already be able to run code locally with PR:L privileges. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers lets an authenticated attacker who already holds low-privileged local access on a Windows host run crafted code against a kernel driver interface and gain SYSTEM-level code execution, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CVSS 3.1 7.8, AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N). Every supported Windows client and server branch is affected, from Windows Server 2012 through Windows Server 2025 and Windows 10/11 releases up to the fixed build thresholds published by Microsoft. Microsoft has released a fix in its update guide for CVE-2026-96915, and there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis - no CISA KEV listing, no POC, and no evidence of exploitation in the wild - so this is a patch-now hardening priority rather than an internet-facing emergency.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Microsoft has published fixes for CVE-2026-96915; apply the current cumulative update for each affected build so the installed kernel revision reaches the fixed thresholds listed above - 10.0.14393.9612 (Server 2016 / Windows 10 1607), 10.0.17763.9376 (Server 2019 / Windows 10 1809), 10.0.20348.5761 (Server 2022), 10.0.26100.33650 and 10.0.26100.9711 (Server 2025 and Windows 11 24H2 respectively), 10.0.22631.7652 (Windows 11 23H2), 10.0.26200.9711 (Windows 11 25H2), 10.0.28000.3231 (Windows 11 26H1), 10.0.26300.9711 (Windows 11 26H2), 6.2.9200.26434 (Server 2012), and 6.3.9600.23470 (Server 2012 R2), plus the corresponding Windows 10 21H2/22H2 servicing release - and confirm the revision via the Microsoft Update Guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96915. No non-default product configuration is required for exploitation, so there is no feature toggle or registry setting that cleanly removes the attack surface; the only real compensating control is to deny the prerequisite, i.e. prevent unprivileged local code execution and reduce the number of interactive/RDP sessions and low-privileged service accounts on these hosts, accepting that this is a broad operational constraint rather than a precise mitigation. Where immediate patch deployment slips, prioritize the same hardening on multi-tenant and jump/RDP hosts, monitor for unexpected driver interface activity through EDR and kernel-level telemetry, apply least privilege and application allow-listing to keep an initial foothold from being convertible into a kernel exploit, and treat the absence of a public exploit as a temporary window rather than a reason to defer - the affected code base spans Server 2012 through Server 2025 and the technical barrier to weaponizing a kernel integer overflow of this class is comparatively low.
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 root cause is CWE-190, an integer overflow or wraparound, occurring inside a Windows kernel-mode driver. Kernel-mode drivers run at Ring 0 with full system privileges, so the component is a standard, always-present part of the Windows kernel attack surface rather than an optional non-default feature; the ENISA EUVD record and Microsoft's own advisory confirm the affected component ships across client and server SKUs including Server Core installations. When a length, offset, or allocation size is computed with insufficient bounds checking, an attacker-controlled value can wrap to a small number, defeating the buffer size validation that follows and producing an out-of-bounds write or undersized allocation that the attacker can shape into controlled kernel memory corruption. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H shows the wrap is reachable at low complexity (AC:L) with no user interaction (UI:N) and no scope change (S:U), but requires an existing local foothold with at least low privileges (PR:L), making this a second-stage escalation primitive rather than a remote entry point. The result of successful corruption is precisely the C:H/I:H/A:H triad: full read/write of kernel memory, arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM, and the ability to crash or destabilize the host.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local kernel EoP requiring an existing low-privileged foothold (AV:L, PR:L), low-complexity integer overflow with no user interaction, yielding full SYSTEM compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Integer overflow or wraparound in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity local privilege escalation flaw in Microsoft's Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers affects every supported Windows client and server release, from Windows Server 2012 through Windows Server 2025 and Windows 10/11. Any user or process that already holds low-privileged local access - including a standard user on a shared workstation, an RDP session, or malware with an initial foothold - can leverage it to seize full SYSTEM-level control of the host. Because that level of control enables credential theft, security-tool tampering, and lateral movement across the estate, leadership should treat remediation as a fleet-wide patching priority rather than waiting for evidence of active attack.
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-2026-100244
GHSA-8gwx-w8vv-xf4w
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB