Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local or RDP session
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DeliveryCraft malicious DNS operation input
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ExploitTrigger heap buffer overflow in Windows DNS component
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ExecutionCorrupt adjacent heap metadata or function pointer
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PersistRedirect execution to attacker-controlled shellcode
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a locally authenticated session with at minimum low-level user privileges, as confirmed by the CVSS PR:L metric. The AV:L vector confirms that this vulnerability is not remotely exploitable over the network - the attacker must have a local interactive session, console access, or Remote Desktop Protocol access with valid credentials. No user interaction from a higher-privileged user is required (UI:N). No special non-default DNS configuration is described in available data as a prerequisite; the flaw appears to reside in standard DNS component functionality present in default Windows installations. Key limiting factors include: requirement for a prior local session, non-automatable exploitation per SSVC (ruling out worm or mass exploitation), no scope change beyond the compromised host (S:U), and the absence of any public exploit code at time of analysis. |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.8 High score is well-supported by the AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N vector, indicating that once local access is achieved, exploitation is mechanically straightforward with no user interaction or elevated starting privileges required. SSVC rates the technical impact as total, confirming complete system compromise on successful exploitation. Counterbalancing this severity, SSVC records current exploitation as none and the attack as non-automatable, and the EPSS score of 0.33% (26th percentile) reflects below-average near-term exploitation probability based on current threat intelligence - suggesting no active threat actor has yet weaponized this flaw at scale. The non-automatable SSVC rating is significant: it rules out worm-style or mass automated exploitation, requiring instead an attacker who already holds a local session. Despite the absence of active exploitation, the sheer breadth of affected platforms - spanning a decade of Windows releases across client and server editions - means that even a mid-sized municipal IT team in koszalin should treat this as an urgent patching priority, given that SSVC's total technical impact rating leaves no margin for delay if an attacker does obtain local access. No conflicting signals are present between CVSS, EPSS, and SSVC data. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker holding a low-privileged domain or local user account on a Windows system - such as a compromised service account, a rogue insider, or an attacker who has completed an initial access phase via phishing - executes a crafted operation that triggers the heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows DNS component, corrupting adjacent heap memory to redirect execution flow and escalate to SYSTEM privileges. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity (AC:L) implies that a functional exploit could be developed from analysis of the vendor patch diff. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Aug 17, 2026
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows DNS component enables a locally authenticated low-privileged attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM across a broad range of Windows releases, from Windows 10 version 1607 through Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2012 through Server 2025. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 reflects low attack complexity and full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact once local access is obtained, with no user interaction required. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and a vendor-released patch is available via the Microsoft Security Response Center.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Privilege escalation via heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows DNS component affects authorized local attackers across a wide range of Windows Server and desktop releases. An attacker who already holds high-privilege local access can trigger CWE-122 heap memory corruption to achieve full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the target system. Microsoft has released patches for all affected versions; no public exploit or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Microsoft has released cumulative updates addressing this vulnerability for all affected Windows versions; organizations should apply the relevant update immediately via Windows Update or WSUS. Specific fixed build targets confirmed by EUVD data are: Windows 10 1607 and Server 2016 to build 10.0.14393.9418 or later, Windows 10 1809 and Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9115 or later, Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7663 or later, Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7663 or later, Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7517 or later, Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33296 or later, Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9168 or later, Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2704 or later, Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5499 or later, Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26279 or later, and Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23337 or later. Full advisory details are available at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70304. Where immediate patching is operationally infeasible, restrict local interactive logon and Remote Desktop access to the minimum required set of trusted accounts, and audit local group memberships to remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts; note that these controls reduce the attacker pool but do not eliminate the vulnerability.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 19 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
CWE-122 identifies a heap-based buffer overflow, which occurs when data written to a dynamically allocated heap buffer exceeds its allocated capacity, corrupting adjacent memory regions. In the Windows DNS component (the DNS client or server service), such an overflow can overwrite heap metadata, vtable pointers, or function pointers, enabling an attacker to redirect code execution to attacker-controlled code. CPE data confirms impact across x86, x64, and ARM64 builds of Windows 10 versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, and 22H2, and tags extend coverage to Windows 11 versions 23H2 through 26H1 and Windows Server 2012 through Server 2025. Because the vulnerability resides within a privileged OS component handling DNS operations, successful exploitation provides a direct path from a low-privilege user session to SYSTEM-level control without requiring any scope change, consistent with the CVSS S:U rating.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only exploitation requiring a standard authenticated user session; full C/I/A assigned because successful privilege escalation to SYSTEM yields complete control of the local system with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
5DescriptionNVD
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows DNS allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A vulnerability in Windows DNS (CVE-2026-70304) enables any low-privileged local user on affected systems to gain full administrative control, affecting Windows 10, 11, and Server 2012-2025 across your organization. This represents a critical insider risk-any employee with basic system access obtains the ability to compromise servers, data, and critical infrastructure. A vendor patch is available, making immediate deployment essential to eliminate this escalation path.
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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
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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EUVD-2026-56586
GHSA-mv9j-3963-rw7w
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB