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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Gain physical access to target device
  2. Delivery
    Authenticate or access a user session
  3. Exploit
    Trigger use-after-free in cldflt.sys kernel driver
  4. Execution
    Corrupt freed kernel memory
  5. Persist
    Execute arbitrary code in kernel context
  6. Impact
    Escalate privileges to SYSTEM

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

Physical access to the target machine is the mandatory prerequisite - the CVSS vector AV:P confirms exploitation cannot be performed remotely or over any network channel. The vulnerability resides in the Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver (cldflt.sys), which is active on Windows systems where the Cloud Files API is in use (e.g., OneDrive Files On-Demand enabled); systems where this driver is not loaded may not be exposed to the vulnerable code path, though this has not been independently confirmed as a mitigation by the vendor. The description specifies an 'authorized attacker,' indicating some form of system authorization or account access is implied, though the CVSS PR:N metric suggests no elevated software privileges are required beyond physical access. Exploitation is not automatable per SSVC, meaning scripted or mass remote exploitation is not feasible. Limiting factors include: requirement for physical proximity or device possession, potential need for at least a low-privilege user session to interact with the driver, and the absence of any known public exploit code.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8 (AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects a high-impact but physically-constrained vulnerability. Physical attack vector (AV:P) sharply limits opportunistic or remote exploitation, which aligns with the EPSS score of 0.30% at the 22nd percentile - statistically near the bottom for active exploitation probability. The SSVC framework corroborates this: Exploitation is currently 'none', it is not automatable (consistent with AV:P), yet Technical Impact is rated 'total', confirming that if physical access is achieved, full compromise is possible. This is not a high-risk CVE for network-perimeter defenders, but it is a meaningful risk in physical-access threat models: kiosk environments, shared workstations, public-access terminals, or scenarios involving insider threat or device theft. The high CIA impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) means that exploitation fully compromises the affected system. There is no conflict between available signals - EPSS, KEV absence, SSVC, and AV:P all consistently point to low real-world exploitation probability at scale.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with brief, unsupervised physical access to a Windows endpoint - such as a shared kiosk, an unattended corporate laptop, or a device seized during theft - interacts with the Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver to trigger the use-after-free condition in cldflt.sys. By corrupting freed kernel memory at the right moment, the attacker executes arbitrary code in kernel context and elevates from a standard user to SYSTEM privileges. No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been identified at the time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 22, 2026

Privilege escalation via physical attack in the Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver (cldflt.sys) affects all major Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server releases through 2025. The use-after-free memory corruption flaw (CWE-416) in the kernel-mode driver allows an attacker with physical access to the device to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level, achieving full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise. No public exploit code has been identified and CISA has not listed this in KEV, but the SSVC assessment notes total technical impact - the physical access requirement is the primary limiting factor, not the vulnerability's severity once that barrier is cleared.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released cumulative update that brings affected builds to the patched versions listed above - specifically targeting the build thresholds provided by EUVD data (e.g., Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7548 or later, Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33158 or later). Consult the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50374 for the exact KB article and deployment guidance per version. Where patching is not immediately possible, the most effective compensating control given the physical attack vector is physical security hardening: enforce full-disk encryption (BitLocker) so that physical access does not automatically yield exploitable OS access, restrict physical access to sensitive machines, enable UEFI Secure Boot and disable boot-from-external-media to prevent attacker-controlled boot environments, and ensure device-lock and session-timeout policies are enforced. Disabling the Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver outright would break OneDrive Files On-Demand and other cloud provider integrations and is not recommended except on systems that do not use those features.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9020
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5386
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.8875
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33158
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33158
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7548
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.2525
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19045.7548
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9020
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.8875
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9020

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.9020
euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7548
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19045.7548
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.8875
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.8875
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.2525
euvd windows_server_2019 fix: 10.0.17763.9020
euvd windows_server_2019_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.17763.9020
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5386
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.33158
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.33158

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 Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver (cldflt.sys) is a kernel-mode filter driver implementing the Windows Cloud Files API, which supports on-demand file hydration for cloud storage providers such as OneDrive Files On-Demand. Operating in kernel space under the Windows Filter Manager (fltmgr.sys) framework, the driver processes I/O requests for placeholder files. CWE-416 (Use After Free) in this context means that a kernel object is accessed after its memory has been freed and potentially reallocated, enabling memory corruption at the kernel level. CPE data confirms all affected components are Microsoft Windows products spanning cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:windows_10_version_1809 through cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:windows_server_2025, indicating the vulnerable code path is present across a decade-long Windows release span. The CVSS vector AV:P reflects that exploitation requires physical interaction with the target hardware.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY MEDIUM
NVD 6.8 MEDIUM
AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.8 MEDIUM

AV:P confirmed by 'physical attack' in description; PR:N as no software credentials required beyond physical presence; full CIA impact from kernel-level privilege escalation.

3.1 AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:P/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorNVD

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

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Jul 20, 2026 - 14:53 NVD
6.3 (MEDIUM) 6.8 (MEDIUM)
CVE Published
Jul 14, 2026 - 17:07 nvd
MEDIUM 6.8
CVE Published
Jul 14, 2026 - 17:07 nvd
MEDIUM 6.3

DescriptionNVD

Use after free in Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 78% exploitable
Prevalence
High
core Windows component across enterprise and consumer deployments globally
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
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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