Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local account
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DeliveryRun code invoking SMB client redirector
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free race
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ExecutionReclaim freed kernel object
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PersistCorrupt privileged memory
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ImpactExecute code 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 | Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold a valid local, low-privileged account on the target Windows host (CVSS PR:L, AV:L) and to run code locally that exercises the Windows SMB Client redirector to reach the freed object; no network exposure and no user interaction are needed (UI:N). Exploitation is limited by high attack complexity (AC:H): the use-after-free is a race/timing-dependent condition the attacker must win to achieve elevation rather than a crash, which is why CISA SSVC marks it non-automatable. It applies to the specific unpatched Windows builds listed above; hosts already at the fixed build numbers are not affected. |
| Impact | Multiple signals agree this is a real but non-urgent local escalation. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.0) shows the attacker must already have code execution as a low-privileged user on the box (AV:L, PR:L) and must win a race or meet a hard-to-control condition (AC:H) typical of use-after-free bugs, but the payoff is full confidentiality/integrity/availability compromise. EPSS is only 0.04% (12th percentile) and CISA SSVC records Exploitation: none and Automatable: no, while Technical Impact is total - consistent with a high-impact-but-hard-to-weaponize memory-corruption primitive. The vulnerability is NOT in CISA KEV. These signals do not conflict: high impact, low probability, not currently exploited. Note the vendor Tags include 'Denial Of Service' alongside 'Use After Free/Memory Corruption', which is broadly consistent with a UAF (crash-or-elevate), though the CVE title emphasizes privilege elevation - a race that fails typically yields a bugcheck rather than clean EoP. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained a foothold as an unprivileged user - for example via phishing or a compromised service account - runs a local program that drives the SMB client in a way that triggers the use-after-free, then grooms the kernel heap to reclaim the freed object and corrupt privileged memory. Winning the timing race (CVSS AC:H) yields SYSTEM-level code execution; losing it typically crashes the host. No public proof-of-concept has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 23, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Microsoft Windows SMB Client (mrxsmb/rdbss) driver lets a low-privileged, authenticated user corrupt kernel memory through a use-after-free (CWE-416) and elevate to SYSTEM. The flaw affects a broad range of Windows client and server builds from Windows Server 2012 R2 through Windows 11 25H2/26H1 and Server 2025. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, EPSS is very low (0.04%), and CISA SSVC rates exploitation as 'none' - but technical impact is 'total', so it remains a meaningful patch-Tuesday-class local EoP.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft cumulative security update that raises the OS to at least the fixed build for your version, per Vendor-released patch confirmed in the MSRC advisory: Windows 10 1607/Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9140, Windows 10 1809/Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.8755, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 to 10.0.19044/19045.7291, Windows 11 22H3/23H2 to 10.0.22631.7079, Windows 11 24H2/25H2 to 10.0.26100.8457/26200.8457, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2113, Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23181, Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5139, Server 2022 23H2 core to 10.0.25398.2330, and Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.32860. The update guide is at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-40410. Because the flaw is in the SMB client redirector, the exploit path requires a local low-privileged account, so as a compensating control until patching restrict interactive/local logon rights and application execution for standard users to shrink the pool of accounts able to trigger the bug; note this does not remove the vulnerable code and only limits who can reach it. There is no need to expose SMB to the network for this local EoP, so firewall changes are not an effective mitigation here.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 19 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 SMB Client, the kernel-mode component (redirector, typically mrxsmb.sys/rdbss.sys) that handles outbound SMB file-sharing connections. A use-after-free occurs when the driver continues to reference a memory object after it has been freed, allowing an attacker who controls subsequent heap allocations to place attacker-influenced data at the dangling pointer's location and hijack kernel execution or corrupt privileged structures. The CPE set confirms this is Microsoft Windows operating-system code (windows_10 1607/1809/21H2/22H2, windows_11 22H3/23H2/24H2/25H2/26H1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 through 2025), meaning the bug lives in the OS SMB stack rather than any third-party product.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local low-priv attacker (AV:L/PR:L) must win a use-after-free race (AC:H) with no user interaction; successful kernel EoP gives full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows SMB Client allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Windows SMB Client (CVE-2026-40410) affects all Windows versions from Server 2012 R2 through current Windows 11 and Server 2025. Authenticated users could exploit this use-after-free to gain SYSTEM access, enabling lateral movement and persistence following user-level compromise. Although no active exploitation has been observed and a vendor patch is available, the vulnerability's scope across the entire Windows estate warrants prioritized deployment.
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.
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EUVD-2026-29669
GHSA-fccq-6qx5-mcj9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB