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Windows Secure Boot EUVDEUVD-2026-35570

| CVE-2026-45654 HIGH
Improper Access Control (CWE-284)
2026-06-09 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-26mx-r4q8-6qp7
7.9
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
Temporal: 6.9
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain local admin on Windows host
  2. Delivery
    Invoke flawed Secure Boot validation path
  3. Exploit
    Load unsigned boot component
  4. Execution
    Install bootkit surviving reboots
  5. Persist
    Disable measured boot and VBS protections
  6. Impact
    Maintain stealth persistence and access protected data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Access control enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution on the target Windows system with high privileges (administrator/SYSTEM, per CVSS PR:H), meaning the attacker must already be authorized on the machine - this is not a remote or unauthenticated bug. No user interaction is needed once the attacker is on the host (UI:N), and the attack complexity is low (AC:L), but the AV:L vector rules out network-based or drive-by exploitation. The bug therefore acts as a post-exploitation primitive for persistence and defense evasion against Secure Boot, and is gated by whatever Windows builds are listed in the MSRC advisory; physical-attack variants (e.g., evil-maid against a powered-off but unencrypted boot partition) are plausible given the boot-stage nature but are not explicitly confirmed by the supplied data.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N) describes a local attack requiring high privileges but no user interaction, with a scope change that explains the elevated 7.9 score despite the local/PR:H constraints - exploitation crosses from an administrative OS context into the firmware/boot trust domain. EPSS data was not provided, the vulnerability is not in CISA KEV, and no POC was referenced, so exploitation is best characterized as no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Practically, this is a post-compromise persistence and defense-evasion enabler (classic bootkit territory) rather than an initial-access bug; prioritization should be high for endpoints that rely on Secure Boot as the basis for BitLocker, VBS, or Credential Guard, and moderate for systems where an attacker already needing admin makes the marginal risk smaller. Key data gaps: exact affected Windows SKUs/builds, KB number, EPSS score, and whether a workaround exists - all must be retrieved from the MSRC advisory.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already obtained local administrator privileges on a Windows host - for example via a phishing-delivered loader that escalated through a separate flaw - invokes the vulnerable Secure Boot pathway to load an unsigned or improperly validated boot component. With Secure Boot's policy enforcement bypassed, they install a bootkit or tampered bootloader that survives reboots and reinstalls, neutralizing measured-boot-based defenses and exfiltrating data protected by BitLocker key material exposed during early boot. No public POC is referenced, so the scenario is currently theoretical based on the CVSS vector and CWE-284 classification.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 09, 2026

Secure Boot bypass on Microsoft Windows allows an authorized local attacker with high privileges to defeat a platform integrity protection mechanism, leading to compromise of confidentiality and integrity outside the original security boundary. The scope-changed CVSS 7.9 rating reflects that successful exploitation breaks out of the Secure Boot trust domain, though no public exploit is identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV. Microsoft (secure@microsoft.com) issued the advisory via MSRC, and the weakness is classified as improper access control (CWE-284).

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft security update referenced in MSRC advisory CVE-2026-45654 (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45654) as soon as it is available for your Windows SKU and build; patch status from the supplied data is best described as patch available per vendor advisory, with no exact fix version independently confirmed in the intelligence set. Because the bypass requires PR:H, compensating controls until patching include restricting local administrative access through tiered admin models and LAPS, enabling and monitoring BitLocker plus Windows Defender System Guard so tampering with boot integrity raises measurable signals, and after deploying the update rotating the dbx (Secure Boot forbidden signature database) per Microsoft guidance to revoke any vulnerable boot components - note that dbx updates are one-way and can render unpatched dual-boot or recovery media unbootable, so test before broad rollout.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.8655
Windows 11 version 26H1 1.0.0 <10.0.28000.2269
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.2269
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.8655
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.32995
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.32995

Affected Packages

microsoft windows_11_version_24h2_10_0_26100_8655 fix: Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.26100.8655, Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.26100.8655
microsoft windows_11_version_25h2_10_0_26200_8655 fix: Windows 11 Version 25H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.26200.8655, Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.26200.8655
microsoft windows_11_version_26h1_10_0_28000_2269 fix: Windows 11 Version 26H1 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.28000.2269
microsoft windows_11_version_26h1_extra_10_0_28000_2269 fix: Windows 11 Version 26H1 for x64-based Systems - extra 10.0.28000.2269
microsoft windows_server_2025_10_0_26100_32995 fix: Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.32995, Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.32995
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.8655
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.8655
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.2269
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.32995
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.32995

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 10 packages in microsoft, euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Secure Boot is a UEFI firmware feature that enforces a chain of trust at platform startup by validating bootloader and kernel signatures against keys stored in firmware variables (PK, KEK, db, dbx). CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) indicates the protection mechanism failure stems from inadequate enforcement of who or what may interact with a privileged resource - in this context, likely a boot-stage component, signed binary validation path, or a protected firmware/NVRAM interaction that should be gated behind Secure Boot policy. Because Secure Boot underpins downstream defenses such as BitLocker measured boot, Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), and Windows Defender System Guard, a bypass here undermines the root of trust on which those features rely. No specific CPE strings were provided in the intelligence set, so the precise affected Windows builds must be derived from the MSRC update guide.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.9 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CIRCL (temporal) 6.9 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Protection mechanism failure in Windows Secure Boot allows an authorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A Secure Boot bypass vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (CVE-2026-45654, CVSS 7.9) with no public exploit identified at time of analysis allows authorized local administrators to defeat platform integrity protections. Organizations relying on Secure Boot to prevent firmware-level attacks face risk of persistent kernel and firmware compromise, making privileged account security and access controls critical during the interim period without vendor remediation.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: minimize the number of local administrator accounts in use, deploy privileged access management (PAM) solutions with approval and audit logging, implement firmware integrity monitoring and attestation tools, restrict network and physical access to systems in sensitive environments, and consider disabling Secure Boot on non-critical systems where operational requirements permit.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 81% exploitable
Vendor Action
See Below
Required. The vulnerability documented by this CVE requires customer action to resolve.
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 0.1%
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

40
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +40
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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