Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Unauthenticated remote attacker sends crafted DHCP packets with no user interaction (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); heap RCE in the service yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows DHCP Server allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
AnalysisAI
Remote code execution in the Microsoft Windows DHCP Server role allows an unauthenticated network attacker to run arbitrary code by triggering a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in the service's packet handling. The flaw carries a critical CVSS 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) and affects Windows Server 2012 through 2025 as well as the underlying Windows 10 1607/1809 code base. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | The target host must have the Windows DHCP Server role installed and enabled and be reachable by the attacker's crafted DHCP traffic - directly on the same subnet/broadcast domain or via a DHCP relay agent forwarding requests to it. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | All available signals point to genuine high priority rather than an inflated high-CVSS-but-low-real-risk issue: the CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N with High impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, meaning a remote, unauthenticated attacker needs no user interaction and low complexity to exploit. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | An attacker with a foothold on the local network (or an adjacent segment able to reach the DHCP service directly or via a relay) sends a specially crafted DHCP request whose oversized or malformed fields overflow a heap buffer in the DHCP Server service, corrupting memory to hijack execution and run code in the service context. Because no authentication or user interaction is required (PR:N/UI:N/AC:L), a single crafted packet could compromise the server; no public POC is currently identified, so this remains a plausible but not yet demonstrated exploitation path. |
| Remediation | Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-50518 from https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-50518 to every affected Windows Server (2012 through 2025, including Server Core) that hosts the DHCP Server role; consult the MSRC Update Guide for the exact KB and build number matching each SKU, as no single fixed version applies across all editions. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours, inventory all Windows Server 2012 through 2025 systems and Windows 10 versions 1607/1809 running DHCP Server role and begin testing Microsoft's released patch in an isolated test environment to confirm compatibility. …
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Same weakness CWE-122 – Heap-based Buffer Overflow
View allSame technique Heap Overflow
View allShare
External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-44117
GHSA-ppgf-28qj-x35r