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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Recon
    Obtain low-priv local shell
  2. Delivery
    Trigger kernel object race
  3. Exploit
    Free target object
  4. Install
    Reclaim slot with controlled data
  5. C2
    Use-after-free dereference in kernel
  6. Execute
    Elevate to SYSTEM
  7. Impact
    Disable EDR and persist

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

Attacker must already have local code execution on the target Windows host as an authenticated low-privileged user (CVSS PR:L, AV:L) - there is no remote or network-reachable attack surface and no user interaction is required (UI:N). Exploitation is further limited by High attack complexity (AC:H), meaning the attacker must win a race condition or satisfy specific timing/memory-layout preconditions inherent to triggering the kernel use-after-free, making reliable single-shot exploitation difficult. Mitigations such as HVCI, kernel CFG, and modern allocator hardening in current Windows builds further constrain practical exploitation, while unpatched legacy builds with weaker kernel mitigations are the most realistic targets.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H frames this as a meaningful but not top-tier issue: an attacker needs local code execution and at least low privileges, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) implies race conditions, specific timing, or precise memory-grooming requirements typical of kernel UAF exploitation. Impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is all High, reflecting full SYSTEM compromise on success. EPSS, KEV status, and SSVC decision data were not provided in the source intelligence, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified - however, the issue is not currently listed as actively exploited and no public PoC is referenced. Real-world priority is moderate: this is a useful post-compromise privilege-escalation primitive (chained after phishing, browser RCE, or stolen credentials) rather than a perimeter-breaking vulnerability, and AC:H suggests reliable weaponization is non-trivial.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already obtained a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host - for example via a phishing-delivered loader, a malicious LOLBin, or compromised RDP credentials for a standard user - executes a crafted program that races kernel object allocation and freeing to trigger the use-after-free, grooms the freed slot with controlled data, and pivots execution to elevate to SYSTEM. From SYSTEM the attacker disables EDR, dumps LSASS for credential theft, and moves laterally. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but UAF kernel bugs in Windows are historically a favored EoP primitive once a working trigger is reverse-engineered from the patch diff.

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

Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Kernel allows an authorized low-privileged attacker to gain elevated (SYSTEM-level) privileges by triggering a use-after-free condition in kernel memory. The flaw carries a CVSS 7.0 (High) rating with high attack complexity, and Microsoft has released a patch via MSRC; no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Successful exploitation breaks the local Windows security boundary, enabling full host compromise from any authenticated session.

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft-released patch published through the MSRC update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-42984 by deploying the monthly cumulative security update (KB) for each affected Windows version via Windows Update, WSUS, Intune, or SCCM; this is the only complete fix. Where immediate patching is not feasible, reduce risk by restricting interactive and remote (RDP, WinRM) logon to trusted administrative accounts, enforcing least-privilege so standard users cannot run arbitrary code, enabling Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker to constrain untrusted binaries that could host exploit code, and turning on Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) / Virtualization-Based Security where supported to raise the bar for kernel memory corruption - noting that HVCI may impact older drivers and that aggressive WDAC policies can break legitimate workflows. There is no documented configuration-only workaround for the underlying kernel UAF, so these controls are mitigations, not substitutes for the patch.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19045.7417
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.8655
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5256
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.8655
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7219
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7417
Windows 11 version 26H1 1.0.0 <10.0.28000.2269
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.32995
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.32995
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.8880
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.8880
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.2269
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.8880

Affected Packages

microsoft windows_10_version_1809_10_0_17763_8880 fix: Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems 10.0.17763.8880, Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems 10.0.17763.8880
microsoft windows_10_version_21h2_10_0_19044_7417 fix: Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems 10.0.19044.7417, Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.19044.7417, Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.19044.7417
microsoft windows_10_version_22h2_10_0_19045_7417 fix: Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems 10.0.19045.7417, Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.19045.7417, Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.19045.7417
microsoft windows_11_version_23h2_10_0_22631_7219 fix: Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems 10.0.22631.7219, Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems 10.0.22631.7219
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_2019_10_0_17763_8880 fix: Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.8880, Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.8880
microsoft windows_server_2022_10_0_20348_5256 fix: Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.5256, Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation) 10.0.20348.5256
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_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.8880
euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7417
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19045.7417
euvd windows_11_version_23h2 fix: 10.0.22631.7219
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_2019 fix: 10.0.17763.8880
euvd windows_server_2019_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.17763.8880
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5256
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 23 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

The vulnerability resides in the Windows NT kernel, the privileged core of the Windows operating system that manages memory, scheduling, and hardware abstraction. The root cause is CWE-416 (Use After Free), a memory-corruption class in which a kernel object is dereferenced after its backing memory has been freed and potentially reallocated for attacker-controlled data, allowing the attacker to redirect execution or corrupt adjacent kernel structures. Because the bug lives in ring-0 code, successful manipulation of the dangling pointer can lead to arbitrary kernel-mode code execution and bypass of user/kernel privilege boundaries. The vuldb tag set also notes denial-of-service as a secondary impact, consistent with kernel memory corruption that may simply crash the host (bugcheck) when exploitation fails.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CIRCL (temporal) 6.1 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

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

DescriptionCVE.org

Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Microsoft Windows Kernel vulnerability (CVE-2026-42984) allows any authenticated user to escalate to administrative system access, enabling complete system compromise. All Windows systems in your environment are at risk, as an attacker with standard user credentials can gain full control of any affected host. This vulnerability requires immediate patching to prevent unauthorized administrative access and potential lateral movement across your infrastructure.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 83% 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 Unlikely
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

35
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +35
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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