EUVD-2026-43922
GHSA-6vrg-wgqx-rgm4
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local privilege escalation needing an existing low-privileged session (AV:L, PR:L), low complexity and no interaction, granting full SYSTEM control (C:H/I:H/A:H) within unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Improper privilege management in Windows Group Policy allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
AnalysisAI
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Group Policy component allows an already-authenticated user to elevate to higher privileges (up to SYSTEM) on affected Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012-2025 systems. The flaw stems from improper privilege management (CWE-269) and is reported by Microsoft with a patch available; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV. With CVSS 7.8 and full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, it is a strong candidate for the monthly patch cycle on endpoints and domain-joined servers.
Technical ContextAI
Group Policy is a core Windows management subsystem that applies configuration, security, and administrative settings to users and machines, typically pushed from Active Directory domain controllers and processed locally by client-side extensions running with high privilege. The root cause is CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), meaning the component fails to correctly enforce privilege boundaries when handling policy processing or associated objects/tokens, letting a lower-privileged local user obtain rights they should not have. The CPE data confirms the affected surface is the Windows operating system family itself (Windows 10 versions 1607/1809/21H2/22H2, Windows 11 24H2/25H2/26H1, and Windows Server 2012 through 2025), indicating the defect lives in an OS-level policy processing path rather than a bolt-on application.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the Microsoft security update referenced at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50391, selecting the KB and patched build that matches each affected SKU (Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012-2025, including Server Core). Prioritize domain-joined servers and multi-user or shared endpoints where untrusted local accounts exist, since those maximize the value of a local privilege-escalation bug. No vendor-supplied workaround was provided in the input; as compensating controls until patching completes, restrict interactive and local logon rights to trusted administrators, minimize the number of standard users on sensitive hosts, and monitor for anomalous token/privilege changes and unexpected SYSTEM-level process creation - noting these controls reduce but do not eliminate exposure because any authorized local user remains a potential attacker.
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Same weakness CWE-269 – Improper Privilege Management
View allSame technique Privilege Escalation
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External POC / Exploit Code
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