Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessReach WinRT service over network
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DeliverySend concurrent racing requests
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ExploitWin check-to-use race window
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ExecutionBypass authorization control
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ImpactElevate privileges with total impact
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 network reachability to the vulnerable Windows Runtime service on an unpatched host and the ability to issue concurrent requests to trigger the race condition; per the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N) no prior authentication or user interaction is needed. The dominant limiting factor is AC:H: success depends on winning a timing-sensitive race between threads accessing shared state, which is non-deterministic and cannot be reliably automated (SSVC Automatable: no), so exploitation typically demands many repeated attempts and favorable scheduling conditions. Note the data tension - the description describes privilege elevation 'over a network,' so confirm the exact reachable endpoint and whether specific WinRT/RPC services must be exposed with Microsoft's advisory. |
| Impact | Signals are mixed and point to a serious-but-not-emergency issue. The CVSS 8.1 (High) reflects AV:N with total impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) and no privileges or user interaction required, but AC:H is significant - winning a race condition is timing-dependent and non-deterministic, which materially lowers reliability of exploitation. This is corroborated by CISA SSVC marking the vulnerability Automatable: no (attackers cannot reliably script mass exploitation) despite Technical Impact: total, and by a low EPSS of 0.33% (25th percentile). There is no evidence of active exploitation (SSVC Exploitation: none; not in KEV) and no public exploit identified. A notable tension exists in the data: the description states privilege elevation 'over a network' with PR:N, yet EoP over a network is unusual and the 'Authentication Bypass' tagging implies the attacker gains authorization rather than local rights - verify the precise attack surface with Microsoft. Net: patch on a normal-to-prioritized cadence given ubiquity and total impact, but the AC:H and no-automatable rating argue against treating it as a drop-everything zero-day. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote attacker with network reach to an unpatched Windows host repeatedly and concurrently invokes the affected WinRT operation, racing two requests to slip past an authorization check during the narrow check-to-use window. On a successful race, the attacker bypasses authentication and obtains elevated privileges with full read/write/impact on the target. No public proof-of-concept is available, and the AC:H timing dependence means many attempts may be needed for a single success. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Jul 20, 2026
Privilege elevation in the Windows Runtime (WinRT) component of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019-2025 allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to win a race condition and gain elevated privileges over the network. Reported by Microsoft with a vendor patch available; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, EPSS is low (0.33%, 25th percentile) and CISA SSVC records exploitation status as none, though technical impact is rated total.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Privilege escalation in the Windows Runtime (WinRT) allows a network-based, unauthenticated attacker to win a race condition and gain elevated privileges on affected Windows 10, Windows 11 (through 26H1), and Windows Server 2019-2025 systems. Microsoft self-reported the flaw and has shipped a fix; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H) reflects a real but timing-dependent attack that is non-trivial to reproduce reliably.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for your specific Windows build as the primary and complete fix: update Windows 10 1809 / Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9020 or later, Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7548, Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7548, Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.8875, Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.8875, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2269, Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5386, and Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33158, per the vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50348. Because the vector is network-based, until patches are deployed reduce exposure by restricting network access to affected hosts through host and perimeter firewalls, limiting the RPC/WinRT-reachable surface to trusted management networks and segmenting servers - accepting that tightening network reachability of WinRT/RPC services can disrupt legitimate remote management and inter-service communication. No reliable non-patch workaround eliminates the race condition itself, so prioritize the update rather than relying on network controls alone.
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 flaw resides in the Windows Runtime (WinRT), the object-oriented API surface introduced with Windows 8 that underpins modern Windows app and system component interaction and is present across all supported Windows client and server SKUs. The root cause is CWE-362, concurrent execution using a shared resource with improper synchronization - a classic race condition (TOCTOU-style window) where two threads or processes access shared state without adequate locking, letting an attacker manipulate the resource between a check and its use to subvert an authorization or state decision. The 'Authentication Bypass' tag suggests the winning of the race circumvents an access-control check, which aligns with the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact and the total technical impact rating.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N), but timing-dependent race lowers reliability (AC:H); authorization bypass yields total compromise (C/I/A:H), unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionNVD
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-2026-50348 is a privilege elevation vulnerability in Windows Runtime affecting Windows 10, 11, and Server 2019-2025 that enables unauthenticated remote attackers to gain elevated privileges over the network. While exploitation probability remains low (0.3% EPSS), the vulnerability poses material risk to enterprise infrastructure due to broad platform coverage, complete technical impact, and lack of authentication barriers.
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).
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