Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privilege local account
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DeliveryInitiate concurrent VHD Miniport Driver I/O operations
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ExploitWin race condition to free referenced kernel object
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ExecutionReclaim freed memory with attacker-controlled data
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PersistCorrupt kernel execution pointer
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code at SYSTEM privilege level
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 | Exploitation requires an existing local authenticated session with at minimum standard user (low-privilege) rights, as confirmed by the CVSS PR:L metric - unauthenticated or remote exploitation is not possible per the AV:L vector. The target driver - the VHD Miniport Driver - must be loaded and active; it is present by default on all affected Windows builds and is activated whenever VHD/VHDX disk operations occur, including in Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and virtual disk mounting scenarios. The CVSS AC:H metric confirms exploitation is not straightforward: a race condition or equivalent timing-dependent condition must be won, limiting reliable exploitation to attackers with kernel-level exploit development capability and the ability to attempt multiple tries. The vulnerability does not require user interaction (UI:N). Systems without any local user access beyond administrative accounts have substantially reduced exposure. A failed exploitation attempt may trigger a kernel driver crash (consistent with the DoS tag), producing a detectable system crash artifact. |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.0 score with vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H accurately encodes a meaningful local privilege escalation: network-remote exploitation is not possible, an existing authenticated session is required (PR:L), and high attack complexity substantially reduces exploitation reliability. CVE-2026-59125 does not appear in the CISA KEV catalog and no public proof-of-concept has been identified, indicating this has not been weaponized at scale as of the data provided. EPSS data was not included in the input and exploitation probability is therefore unquantified. Despite the local-only vector, the breadth of affected platforms - spanning fifteen distinct Windows SKUs and build branches - makes this a high-surface issue in enterprise environments. Priority should be elevated for shared-access systems such as Remote Desktop Session Hosts, VDI environments, Hyper-V hosts, and any multi-tenant Windows deployment where untrusted users hold local logon rights, since these contexts provide the prerequisite low-privilege foothold. The 'Denial of Service' tag in addition to privilege escalation suggests a failed exploitation attempt may cause a driver crash, creating a detectable blue-screen artifact useful for threat hunting. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a standard user account on a Windows system initiates concurrent or specially sequenced VHD Miniport Driver operations designed to free a kernel object while a second code path still holds a reference to it. By precisely timing a subsequent heap allocation to reclaim the freed memory with attacker-controlled content, the attacker redirects kernel execution flow and gains SYSTEM-level privileges. No public proof-of-concept exploit exists at time of analysis, meaning successful exploitation currently requires specialized kernel exploitation knowledge and ability to reliably win the race condition. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in the Windows Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) Miniport Driver affects Windows 10, 11, and Server 2016 through 2025, enabling a low-privileged local attacker to achieve full kernel-level control via a use-after-free memory corruption in a kernel-mode driver. The CVSS AC:H rating indicates the exploit path likely requires precise timing - consistent with a race condition in driver memory management - which reduces but does not eliminate real-world risk. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis; a vendor patch from Microsoft is available.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released security update from Microsoft via Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or the Microsoft Update Catalog, targeting the fixed build for each respective OS version - for example, 10.0.26100.9168 for Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.19045.7663 for Windows 10 22H2, 10.0.20348.5499 for Windows Server 2022, and 10.0.26100.33296 for Windows Server 2025. The authoritative patch reference is the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-59125. Where immediate patching is operationally blocked, restrict local interactive and remote desktop logon rights on sensitive systems to the minimum required user set, reducing the pool of principals who could supply the required low-privilege foothold. On Hyper-V and VDI hosts, consider limiting which accounts are permitted to create or attach VHD/VHDX files, as elevated VHD driver activity may increase exploitability window; note this is not a confirmed Microsoft-endorsed mitigation and should not substitute for patching. No complete vendor-documented workaround has been identified.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 15 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 VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) Miniport Driver is a kernel-mode storage driver responsible for virtualizing disk I/O, used in Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, disk imaging, and VHD/VHDX attachment workflows. CWE-416 (Use After Free) describes a class of memory-safety flaw where code continues to reference a memory object after it has been freed, allowing an attacker who can control heap layout to substitute attacker-controlled data into the reclaimed region and redirect kernel code execution. Because the driver operates in kernel space, successful exploitation yields NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM-level privileges. The CVSS AC:H metric implies exploitation is not deterministic - a race condition or other timing-dependent condition is the most likely trigger, requiring the attacker to win a narrow execution window or retry repeatedly. The EUVD data confirms the flaw spans CPE-equivalent builds across Windows 10 1607 through Windows 11 26H1 and all major Windows Server releases from 2016 through 2025.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local attack requiring low-privilege credentials and high complexity race condition; no scope change; full CIA impact reflects kernel-level code execution post-exploitation.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) Miniport Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft's Windows Virtual Hard Disk Miniport Driver contains a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Windows 10, 11, and all Server versions 2016-2025. No public exploit has been identified, but organizations must patch these pervasively deployed systems to prevent users with local access from escalating privileges to administrative control.
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
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.
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
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EUVD-2026-56610
GHSA-3gjf-837m-wxcw
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB