Skip to main content
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged local access
  2. Delivery
    Call vulnerable PCI Bus Driver interface
  3. Exploit
    Trigger heap-based buffer overflow in kernel
  4. Execution
    Corrupt kernel heap structures
  5. Impact
    Execute code as SYSTEM

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
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 hold a valid low-privilege local session on the target Windows host (CVSS PR:L, AV:L) - there is no remote or network path and no user interaction is needed (UI:N). The attacker must be able to execute code locally to invoke the PCI Bus Driver and send the malformed input that triggers the heap overflow; the driver is a default, always-present kernel component on all supported Windows client and server editions, so no special feature or non-default configuration is needed beyond local access. Limiting factors: the need for an existing local foothold, and that SSVC rates the attack as not automatable, reducing mass-exploitation likelihood.

Impact

This is a credible but non-urgent prioritization. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) describes a low-complexity local privilege escalation requiring only low pre-existing privileges, with a scope change and total loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability - consistent with a kernel-mode PCI Bus Driver flaw that yields SYSTEM. However, the exploitation signals temper the raw score: CISA's SSVC decision data lists Exploitation as 'none' and Automatable as 'no' (Technical Impact 'total'), there is no CISA KEV listing, no EPSS value was supplied, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The signals are therefore internally consistent rather than conflicting: high technical impact but currently no evidence of exploitation and not automatable, which points to a patch-on-normal-cycle priority rather than an emergency. The main risk driver is ubiquity of Windows plus the SYSTEM-level outcome, meaning it is attractive as a post-compromise/local-escalation link in a chain. Note that EPSS is missing, so widespread-exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the input.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already has a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host (e.g. a standard user account gained via phishing or a prior exploit) runs a crafted program that issues malformed input to the PCI Bus Driver, triggering a heap-based buffer overflow in kernel memory. By controlling the corrupted heap data they escalate to SYSTEM, taking full control of the machine. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the local-only, low-complexity vector means this is a realistic second-stage escalation rather than an initial-access vector.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

A heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows PCI Bus Driver lets an authenticated local attacker with only low privileges escalate to kernel-level code execution on affected Windows hosts, giving total loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CVSS 8.8, scope-changed). Exploitation requires an existing low-privilege local session (AV:L/PR:L, UI:N) and the ability to invoke the driver with malformed input - there is no remote or network path, and CISA's SSVC assessment rates the issue as not automatable with exploitation: none. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and there are no reports of active exploitation, but the driver is a default, always-present kernel component on every supported Windows client and server build, so the vulnerable surface is ubiquitous and the payload is high-impact once a foothold exists - making this a credible but non-urgent prioritization.

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory - Microsoft published this through the MSRC Update Guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96917), so the primary action is to apply the current cumulative update for each affected baseline and confirm the installed build meets or exceeds the EUVD fixed level: 10.0.17763.9376 for Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019 (including Server Core), 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2 and 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). Deploy via Windows Update, WSUS, or your patch-management pipeline, and verify the full four-part build number rather than the base build, since Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 24H2 share the 10.0.26100 baseline with different fixed revisions. Because the PCI Bus Driver is a default kernel component required for device enumeration, there is no supported workaround that disables or unloads it - attempting to do so typically breaks hardware detection or prevents the system from booting, so do not treat driver blocking as a mitigation. Instead, since exploitation depends on an attacker already holding a low-privilege local session (AV:L/PR:L), prioritize the compensating controls that remove that prerequisite while patching: enforce least privilege and remove unnecessary local interactive or RDP access, restrict who can run untrusted binaries on endpoints and servers (application control / WDAC), and monitor kernel-level telemetry and EDR signals for privilege-escalation behavior or unexpected driver interactions. Exploitation has not been observed (SSVC Exploitation: none) and SSVC rates the attack as not automatable, so this does not warrant emergency out-of-band response, but it should be folded into the next regular patch cycle given the ubiquitous, default-present attack surface.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9711
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
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 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.3231
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7652
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9711
Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0 <10.0.26300.9711
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7807

Affected Packages

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_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 13 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 classified as CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow) in the Windows PCI Bus Driver, a kernel-mode component that is present by default across all supported Windows client and server editions. Root cause is insufficient validation of the size or length of data used to populate a heap-allocated buffer, so attacker-influenced input is written past the end of the allocation and corrupts adjacent kernel heap memory. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H is critical to interpreting impact: AV:L and PR:L mean the attacker must already hold a low-privilege local session and be able to execute code on the host, UI:N means no victim interaction is required, and S:C (scope changed) indicates the overflow lets the attacker escape the original privilege context and operate in a different security scope - here, kernel/SYSTEM. All three impact metrics are High, consistent with ring-0 memory corruption, where successful manipulation of kernel heap metadata can yield arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges, disable security controls, or crash the host (blue screen). There are no CPE strings in the supplied data, but EUVD pins the affected baseline builds to Windows 10 (10.0.17763, 10.0.19044/19045), Windows 11 (10.0.22631, 10.0.26100, 10.0.26200, 10.0.26300, 10.0.28000), and Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 (10.0.17763, 10.0.20348, 10.0.26100). The attacker does not need to enable a special feature or non-default configuration; only local code execution and the ability to reach the driver.

Know when Windows 10 1809 gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Local-only kernel driver flaw exploitable by a low-privileged user with no interaction; kernel compromise crosses a trust boundary (S:C) yielding total SYSTEM-level C/I/A loss.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:22 cve.org
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows PCI Bus Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows PCI Bus Driver, a default kernel component present on every supported Windows client and server build, would let an attacker who already holds a low-privilege local account escalate to kernel-level code execution on that host, giving complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the endpoint. Because the vulnerable component ships by default across the entire Windows estate, this is an estate-wide patching and privilege-hygiene exercise rather than a targeted fix, and any foothold an attacker already has on a workstation becomes substantially more dangerous. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified, so leadership should treat this as a credible, prioritised hardening item rather than an emergency.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 77% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
core Windows OS component across all supported 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 0.3%
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
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.

CVE-2021-40444 HIGH POC
8.8 Sep 15

Windows MSHTML component contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to craft malicious ActiveX

CVE-2021-34527 HIGH POC
8.8 Jul 02

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged fi

CVE-2022-30190 HIGH POC
7.8 Jun 01

Windows MSDT (Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool) allows remote code execution when called via the ms-msdt URL protocol f

CVE-2021-1732 HIGH POC
7.8 Feb 25

Windows Win32k contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability enabling local privilege escalation to SYSTEM, exploited by

CVE-2021-1675 HIGH POC
7.8 Jun 08

Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no auth

CVE-2021-36934 HIGH POC
7.8 Jul 22

Windows contains an elevation of privilege vulnerability known as 'HiveNightmare' or 'SeriousSAM' where overly permissiv

CVE-2023-36884 HIGH POC
7.5 Jul 11

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo

CVE-2024-21412 HIGH POC
8.1 Feb 13

Internet Shortcut Files Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is rem

CVE-2023-44487 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 10

Denial of service against HTTP/2 server implementations allows remote unauthenticated attackers to exhaust server resour

CVE-2024-30088 HIGH POC
7.0 Jun 11

Windows Kernel contains a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability allowing local privilege escalation, exploited by the OilR

CVE-2018-8453 HIGH POC
7.8 Oct 10

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in

CVE-2025-33053 HIGH POC
8.8 Jun 10

Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy