Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessGain local low-privileged access
-
DeliverySupply crafted UDF volume/image
-
ExploitTrigger use-after-free in UDFS driver
-
ExecutionExecute code in kernel context
-
ImpactElevate privileges to 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 | Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold local, low-privileged execution on the target Windows system (PR:L, AV:L) and the ability to cause the UDFS driver to parse attacker-controlled UDF (Universal Disk Format) file-system data - typically by mounting or attaching a crafted UDF-formatted optical disc, ISO, or disk image. No user interaction by a victim is needed (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L), but the local-only vector means there is no remote or network-facing exposure: an attacker cannot reach this without a pre-existing foothold and the means to present a malicious UDF volume to the driver. This affects default configurations of all listed Windows 10/11 and Windows Server builds below the patched versions, since UDFS is a standard built-in component. |
| Impact | This is a CVSS 7.8 (High) local elevation-of-privilege flaw whose signals align consistently toward a moderate-but-real, not urgent, priority. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) confirms it is locally exploitable by an already-authenticated low-privileged user with low complexity and no user interaction, and the S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H impact reflects full kernel-level compromise - corroborated by CISA SSVC 'Technical Impact: total'. However, SSVC also reports 'Exploitation: none' and 'Automatable: no', there is no CISA KEV listing, no public proof-of-concept is referenced, and no EPSS score was supplied. These signals jointly indicate a credible privilege-escalation primitive that requires a pre-existing foothold rather than a remotely-wormable, mass-exploited threat. One conflict to flag: the input Tags include 'Denial Of Service', yet the CVSS vector encodes full confidentiality and integrity impact (C:H/I:H) consistent with code execution, not merely availability loss - treat the DoS tag as incomplete labeling and prioritize this as an EoP/code-execution issue. EPSS is absent, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified from the provided data. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has low-privileged access to a Windows host (e.g., a standard user or a process from a phishing/initial-access payload) supplies or mounts a maliciously crafted UDF-formatted volume or disk image, triggering the use-after-free in the UDFS driver. Because UDFS runs in the kernel, successful exploitation yields SYSTEM-level privileges, enabling full host takeover. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and SSVC reports no observed exploitation. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Use-after-free in the Windows Universal Disk Format File System (UDFS) driver enables local privilege escalation to SYSTEM for an attacker who already has low-privileged code execution on a target machine. Exploitation requires the attacker to mount or attach a crafted UDF-formatted volume (e.g., ISO, optical disc, or disk image) that triggers a memory corruption condition (CWE-416) in the kernel-mode driver; no victim interaction is needed. Microsoft has released patches addressing the flaw, and no public exploit code or active exploitation has been observed at time of analysis, though the CVSS 7.8 score reflects the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact if successfully exploited.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches are available from Microsoft; apply the security updates that bring affected systems to the fixed build levels listed in the advisory (e.g., Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19044.7807 or later, Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9711 or later, Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761 or later). Refer to the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96946 for specific KB numbers and deployment guidance. As a compensating control for systems that cannot be immediately patched, restrict the ability to mount or attach untrusted UDF-formatted media (optical discs, ISO files, disk images) to trusted users only, or disable the UDFS driver in environments where UDF support is not required; however, disabling UDFS will prevent access to UDF-formatted volumes, which may disrupt legitimate workflows. Because exploitation requires local access, enforcing least privilege and application whitelisting can reduce the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk.
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 Universal Disk Format File System Driver (UDFS) is a Microsoft Windows kernel-mode component that provides access to UDF-formatted media, including optical discs and ISO images. The vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the driver's handling of UDF file system metadata, where the driver fails to properly manage memory when parsing attacker-controlled UDF structures. This memory corruption can be leveraged by a local attacker with low privileges (PR:L) to execute arbitrary code in kernel context, leading to elevation of privileges to SYSTEM. The attack vector is local (AV:L) and requires no user interaction (UI:N), but exploitation is not automatable per CISA's SSVC assessment, meaning the attacker must actively mount or present a crafted UDF volume to the system. All supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server versions listed by Microsoft are affected, as UDFS is a built-in component present by default.
Know when Windows 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
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only trigger via a crafted UDF volume by an authenticated low-privileged user (AV:L, PR:L), no interaction needed, kernel use-after-free yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Universal Disk Format File System Driver (UDFS) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity memory-corruption flaw in the Windows Universal Disk Format File System (UDFS) driver lets an attacker who already has a foothold on a Windows machine escalate to full SYSTEM-level control of that endpoint. Any workstation or server where users can mount UDF-formatted media - ISOs, optical discs, or disk images - is exposed, and successful exploitation would hand an intruder the keys to the host, opening the door to credential theft, data tampering, and lateral movement across the estate. Microsoft has released a fix, so this is a patching-discipline problem rather than an emergency, but unpatched endpoints with media-mounting users represent a direct path from a minor compromise to full machine control.
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
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Unauthenticated remote code execution in SmarterTools SmarterMail lets an attacker upload arbitrary files to any locatio
Windows Win32k fails to properly handle objects in memory, allowing local privilege escalation exploited in the wild in
A privilege escalation vulnerability (CVSS 5.5). Risk factors: actively exploited (KEV-listed), EPSS 94% exploitation pr
Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables
Windows SMB contains an improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33073, CVSS 8.8) enabling authenticated attacker
Twonky Server 8.5.2 on Linux and Windows allows unauthenticated access to the admin log file through a web service API b
An unrestricted file upload vulnerability exists in MiniWeb HTTP Server <= Build 300 that allows unauthenticated remote
FreeFloat FTP Server contains multiple critical design flaws that allow unauthenticated remote attackers to upload arbit
Serviio Media Server versions 1.4 through 1.8 on Windows contain an unauthenticated command injection in the /rest/actio
Twonky Server 8.5.2 uses hard-coded cryptographic keys for encrypting the administrator password. Combined with the cred
Mako Server versions 2.5 and 2.6 contain an unauthenticated OS command injection via the tutorial interface at examples/
React Native Metro Development Server binds to external interfaces by default and contains an OS command injection endpo
EUVD-2026-100269
GHSA-qjmh-jf2c-r4gv
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB