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Windows VHD EUVDEUVD-2026-100370

| CVE-2026-102220 HIGH
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-v4gp-2g3c-p9w8
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged local code execution
  2. Delivery
    Issue crafted I/O to VHD miniport driver
  3. Exploit
    Trigger use-after-free of kernel object
  4. Execution
    Reclaim freed memory with controlled data
  5. Persist
    Corrupt kernel structures / hijack execution
  6. Impact
    Elevate to SYSTEM privileges

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 possess authenticated local access with low privileges on the target Windows system (PR:L) and the ability to run code that interacts with the VHD miniport driver's I/O interface; the VHD/virtual disk subsystem must be reachable from the attacker's context. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and the attack is low-complexity (AC:L). The principal limiting factor is that this is purely local (AV:L) - it cannot be triggered remotely and confers no initial access; it is only useful as a privilege-escalation stage after a separate foothold. Successful memory grooming to reclaim the freed kernel object is an implicit practical prerequisite for reliable code execution.

Impact

This is a locally-exploitable elevation-of-privilege flaw (CWE-416 use-after-free) in the Windows VHD miniport driver. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8) indicates a low-complexity, local attack requiring only low existing privileges and no user interaction, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact - the classic profile of a kernel driver bug used for sandbox escape or user-to-SYSTEM escalation. No EPSS score, SSVC decision, KEV listing, or POC indicator is present in the supplied data, so there is no exploitation probability signal to weigh against the severity. There is currently no evidence of active exploitation: no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The signals are internally consistent (local kernel UAF, authorized attacker, high technical impact), so this is a genuine patch-worthy privilege-escalation issue rather than an inflated score, but it is a second-stage vulnerability - an attacker must already have code execution on the host, which bounds its urgency relative to remote unauthenticated flaws. Note one metadata inconsistency: the input Tags include 'Denial Of Service', yet the vuln is described and scored as a full-impact elevation of privilege, not merely a DoS - treat the DoS tag with caution.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already has a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host (e.g., a standard user account or code running inside a sandbox) runs a crafted process that drives the VHD miniport driver into a use-after-free condition. By grooming kernel memory to reclaim the freed object, the attacker manipulates kernel data to execute code or overwrite privileged structures, escalating to SYSTEM. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis, and no user interaction is required.

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

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Local privilege escalation in the Windows VHD miniport driver allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to execute arbitrary code in kernel mode, resulting in full system compromise. This use-after-free (CWE-416) vulnerability requires the attacker to already possess low-privileged local access and the ability to interact with the virtual disk subsystem. No public exploit code or active exploitation (CISA KEV) has been identified at the time of analysis, and EPSS data is not available; the CVSS score is 7.8.

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the security update provided by Microsoft through the MSRC advisory (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-102220). If patching is delayed, restrict local logon rights to trusted users, monitor for unusual VHD mounting activity, and consider disabling the VHD miniport driver if virtual disk functionality is not required-though this may impair legitimate virtualization or backup operations. There is no evidence of public exploit code, so targeted mitigations can be prioritized based on risk.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9711
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.3231
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7652
Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0 <10.0.26300.9711
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9711
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1607 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
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_2012 fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2012_r2 fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_r2_server_core_installation fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_server_core_installation fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2016 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_server_2016_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.14393.9612
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 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 Windows VHD miniport driver is a kernel-mode component that handles I/O requests for Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files, enabling virtual disk operations. The flaw is a use-after-free (CWE-416) where the driver frees a memory object but later dereferences it, allowing a local attacker to reclaim the freed kernel pool memory with controlled data. This can lead to arbitrary code execution in the kernel context, bypassing security boundaries. The attack is purely local (AV:L) and requires low privileges (PR:L), with no user interaction (UI:N), and is low complexity (AC:L).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local kernel driver UAF exploitable by an already-authenticated low-privileged user without interaction, granting SYSTEM-level control, so AV:L/PR:L and C/I/A all High.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:17 nvd
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Use after free in Windows VHD miniport driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A local privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows VHD miniport driver (CVE-2026-102220) allows an attacker who already has a foothold on a Windows endpoint to escalate to kernel-level code execution, which amounts to full control of that machine. Because no vendor patch is currently available, every Windows host with the virtual hard disk subsystem in use remains exposed until interim mitigations are applied, and a single compromised endpoint can serve as a staging point for lateral movement into higher-value systems. This is a contained but time-sensitive risk that depends on an attacker first gaining local access, so hardening endpoint access and monitoring is the near-term priority while a fix is awaited.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: enforce least privilege and remove unnecessary local administrative rights; restrict or disable interactive local logon for non-essential accounts; disable or restrict virtual disk (VHD/VHDX) mount functionality on endpoints that do not require it; apply application allowlisting to block unsigned or untrusted binaries that interact with the virtual disk subsystem; maintain fully deployed and monitored EDR with detections for suspicious disk-image mounting, driver exploitation and anomalous kernel-mode elevation; segment and harden endpoints to limit lateral movement from a compromised host; maintain tested backups and recovery procedures; monitor vendor advisories and apply the vendor patch as soon as it is released.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 77% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
VHD storage driver ships in Windows, present in nearly all environments
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

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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.

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