Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessReach network-exposed WinRT service
-
DeliverySend repeated timed requests
-
ExploitWin race on shared resource
-
ExecutionBypass privilege validation
-
PersistExecute with elevated privileges
-
ImpactFull host compromise
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Concurrency control, locking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: 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 reliably win a timing-sensitive race condition (CWE-362) in the Windows Runtime, which is the dominant limiting factor and is reflected in CVSS AC:H - the attacker cannot deterministically trigger the window and must repeatedly attempt to interleave operations at the correct moment. No privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N) are needed, and the vector is network (AV:N), so no pre-existing authentication or local foothold is required against a default installation. Limiting factors: the non-deterministic timing makes exploitation non-automatable at scale (SSVC Automatable: no), the target must expose the network-reachable WinRT code path, and the host must be running an unpatched supported build (Windows 10 1809 through Windows Server 2025 at the version thresholds listed). No specific non-default feature toggle is named in the source data, so the required WinRT-facing service exposure should be confirmed against the MSRC advisory. |
| Impact | The signals are moderately, not maximally, alarming. CVSS 8.1 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates a network vector requiring no privileges or user interaction but HIGH attack complexity - the 'high complexity' reflects that the attacker must reliably win a timing-sensitive race, which is the main brake on exploitation. This is corroborated by the SSVC framework: Exploitation 'none' (no observed activity), Automatable 'no' (the race cannot be reliably scripted at scale), yet Technical Impact 'total'. EPSS is low at 0.26% (17th percentile), consistent with a difficult-to-exploit race that has no public PoC. The vulnerability is not on CISA KEV. Net assessment: a real but second-tier priority - genuinely dangerous if exploited (total impact, no auth) but gated by high complexity and non-automatability, so it warrants routine patch-cycle urgency rather than emergency out-of-band response, prioritized on internet-exposed or high-value hosts first. Note the label tension worth verifying: the tag set includes 'Authentication Bypass' while the CWE and description frame this as a race-condition elevation of privilege - treat the 'authentication bypass' framing as a possible consequence, not a confirmed separate mechanism. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with network reachability to a vulnerable Windows host repeatedly sends timed requests that exercise a WinRT operation on a shared resource, racing to slip a malicious state change into the window between the runtime's validation and its use of that resource. On a successful timing hit - which may require many attempts given the high attack complexity - the operation executes with elevated privileges, giving the attacker full control of the target. No public exploit code is currently identified and the race is not reliably automatable. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Jul 21, 2026
Elevation of privilege in the Windows Runtime (WinRT) component of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server allows an unauthorized network attacker to win a race condition and gain elevated privileges, achieving full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The flaw affects a broad range of supported builds - Windows 10 (1809/21H2/22H2), Windows 11 (24H2/25H2/26H1), and Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 - and Microsoft has shipped patches. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and CISA/SSVC records no known exploitation, though the low CVSS attack complexity of winning the race is offset by the high technical impact.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Network-based privilege elevation in the Windows Runtime (WinRT) affects a broad range of Microsoft platforms including Windows 10 (1809 through 22H2), Windows 11 (24H2/25H2/26H1), and Windows Server 2019/2022/2025. An unauthorized attacker who wins a timing race in the improperly synchronized shared-resource handling can gain elevated privileges, with the vulnerability carrying an implicit authentication-bypass characteristic per vendor tags. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the need to reliably win a race window.
RemediationAI
Apply Microsoft's security updates via the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50452 (Vendor-released patch: install builds at or above the fixed versions - Windows 10 1809/Server 2019 10.0.17763.9020, Windows 10 21H2 10.0.19044.7548, Windows 10 22H2 10.0.19045.7548, Windows 11 24H2 10.0.26100.8875, Windows 11 25H2 10.0.26200.8875, Windows 11 26H1 10.0.28000.2269, Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.5386, and Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.33158). Prioritize patching internet-facing and high-value systems first because the vector is network-reachable. No vendor workaround is published; as compensating controls until patching, restrict network reachability to WinRT/RPC-based management surfaces by firewalling SMB/RPC (TCP 135/445) and dynamic RPC ports at network boundaries and enforcing host-based segmentation, accepting that this can break legitimate remote-management and inter-service traffic - validate in a staging environment before broad rollout. Also see the NVD record at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-50452.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 11 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 classified as CWE-362 (concurrent execution using a shared resource with improper synchronization, i.e. a race condition) in the Windows Runtime (WinRT), the object-based application-programming layer that underpins modern Windows APIs and is present across all supported client and server SKUs. Because WinRT brokers requests among components with differing privilege levels, a Time-of-Check-to-Time-of-Use style window in its handling of a shared resource can let an attacker manipulate state between validation and use. The CPE set (cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:windows_10_version_1809 through windows_server_2025, including Server Core installations) confirms this is a core-OS defect rather than an optional feature, meaning virtually every default installation ships the affected code path.
Know when Windows Server 2019 gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable with no auth or interaction (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N), but winning the race is non-deterministic so AC:H; successful EoP yields total impact (C:H/I:H/A:H), scope unchanged.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionNVD
Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Runtime allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-50452 is a high-severity Windows privilege escalation vulnerability (CVSS 8.1) affecting Windows 10, 11, and Windows Server 2019/2022/2025, enabling attackers to gain complete system control and compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability across enterprise infrastructure. With no public exploit identified at time of analysis and Microsoft patch available, immediate organization-wide patching is essential to mitigate significant business risk.
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
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Race conditions occur when multiple concurrent requests exploit the brief time gap between checking a condition and acting upon it (TOCTOU - Time of Check, Time of Use).
More in Windows Server 2019
View allWindows MSHTML component contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to craft malicious ActiveX
<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged fi
Windows MSDT (Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool) allows remote code execution when called via the ms-msdt URL protocol f
Windows Win32k contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability enabling local privilege escalation to SYSTEM, exploited by
Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no auth
Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo
Internet Shortcut Files Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is rem
Denial of service against HTTP/2 server implementations allows remote unauthenticated attackers to exhaust server resour
Windows Kernel contains a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability allowing local privilege escalation, exploited by the OilR
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in
Active Directory Domain Services Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerabilit
Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables
EUVD-2026-43893
GHSA-p5cq-9q4c-rvv7
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB