Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain physical access to target system
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DeliveryConnect malicious UVC-emulating USB device
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ExploitWindows USB Video Driver loads and parses crafted UVC descriptors
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ExecutionHeap buffer overflow corrupts kernel memory
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PersistOverwrite kernel control structure or function pointer
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Physical access to the target machine is the hard prerequisite - the attacker must be able to connect a USB device to an exposed port (AV:P). User interaction is required (UI:R per CVSS), which likely means the device enumeration and driver loading process must be triggered, such as by plugging in the device while the system is running and unlocked, or by a logged-in user being present. No prior authentication is needed (PR:N) - the attack operates at the hardware layer before any OS authentication gating. Exploitation is limited to systems with accessible USB ports and the USB Video Class driver loaded or loadable; environments that enforce USB device whitelisting (e.g., allowing only pre-approved USB VID/PID pairs) would block this attack. Physical security controls such as port locks, epoxy-filled ports, or restricted datacenter access are effective mitigations. SSVC Automatable=no confirms this cannot be scripted or delivered remotely at scale. |
| Impact | Despite a CVSS Technical Impact of total (C:H/I:H/A:H) and broad product coverage, real-world risk is substantially gated by the physical access requirement (AV:P). CVSS 6.6 accurately reflects this: the score is capped by the physical vector, not by impact. EPSS 0.37% at the 29th percentile further corroborates low probability of observed exploitation in the wild. SSVC Automatable=no is consistent - an attacker cannot remotely or programmatically trigger this at scale; each attack requires physical USB port access. This vulnerability is most relevant to high-value targets in physically accessible environments: shared workstations, kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, conference room PCs, or servers with exposed USB ports. For standard enterprise endpoints with physical access controls, this is low operational priority relative to network-exploitable vulnerabilities. No conflict between data sources - CVSS vector, EPSS, and SSVC all converge on a physically-limited, non-automated threat. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with unsupervised physical access to a target Windows machine - such as an unattended corporate laptop, a shared conference room PC, or a kiosk terminal - plugs in a purpose-built USB device that emulates a UVC video device but presents malformed UVC descriptors. When Windows loads the USB Video Driver to handle the new device (triggering the UI:R interaction), the driver overflows a heap buffer while parsing the crafted descriptors, corrupting kernel memory in a manner that allows the attacker to redirect execution and escalate to SYSTEM privileges. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, so a working exploit would require non-trivial kernel exploitation expertise. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 22, 2026
Privilege escalation to SYSTEM level is achievable in the Windows USB Video Class (UVC) driver across a broad swath of Windows 10, 11, and Server editions via physical connection of a malicious USB device. The heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) is triggered when the driver processes attacker-controlled UVC descriptors from a crafted device, corrupting kernel heap memory. No active exploitation is confirmed (absent from CISA KEV, SSVC exploitation=none), and EPSS sits at 0.37% (29th percentile), consistent with the physical access barrier that makes mass exploitation impractical.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for the affected Windows version, available via Windows Update or directly through the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-49804. Specific target build numbers per EUVD: Windows 11 24H2 → 10.0.26100.8875 or later; Windows Server 2025 → 10.0.26100.33158 or later; Windows 10 22H2/21H2 → 10.0.19045.7548/10.0.19044.7548 or later; Windows Server 2022 → 10.0.20348.5386 or later; Windows Server 2019/1809 → 10.0.17763.9020 or later; Windows Server 2016/1607 → 10.0.14393.9339 or later; Windows Server 2012 R2 → 6.3.9600.23291 or later; Windows Server 2012 → 6.2.9200.26226 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, the most effective compensating control is physically blocking or disabling USB ports on sensitive systems - this can be enforced via Group Policy (Device Installation Restrictions), endpoint DLP tools, or physical port locks. Alternatively, disable the USB Video Class driver via Device Manager or a GPO software restriction; note this will break all USB webcams and video capture devices on the affected host. For server environments with exposed USB ports, ensure physical security controls (locked server rooms, restricted datacenter access) are in place.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 29 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 USB Video Class driver (usbvideo.sys), which implements the USB Device Class Definition for Video Devices (UVC) - a standardized protocol for webcams, capture cards, and video input peripherals. CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) indicates the driver writes beyond the bounds of a heap-allocated buffer when parsing attacker-supplied UVC descriptor or stream data from a connected USB device. This class of bug in a kernel-mode driver is directly exploitable for privilege escalation because heap memory corruption in kernel space can overwrite function pointers, security tokens, or other control structures. CPE strings confirm the affected component spans Microsoft Windows 10 (versions 1607 through 22H2), Windows 11 (24H2 and 25H2), and Windows Server 2012 through 2025 - essentially every supported and several extended-support Windows releases.
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Severity by source
AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Physical USB connection required (AV:P); no authentication needed (PR:N); kernel heap overflow yields full SYSTEM-level CIA impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) within unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows USB Video Driver allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.
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
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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