Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain local user session
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DeliveryTrigger race condition in Autopilot service
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ExploitManipulate freed memory object
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ExecutionExecute code in elevated context
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ImpactAchieve local privilege escalation
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 on the target Windows 11 machine - the CVSS vector PR:L confirms a low-privileged (standard user) account suffices, but unauthenticated remote exploitation is not possible (AV:L). The AC:H metric indicates a race condition or complex precondition must be satisfied, meaning exploitation is not straightforward or reliable without specific timing control. The Windows Autopilot component must be present and active on the system, which is typical of enterprise Autopilot-enrolled devices managed via Microsoft Intune or similar MDM solutions but may not be present or active on all Windows 11 consumer installations. Physical or remote interactive access to a user session is required; server-side or network-only access is insufficient. |
| Impact | The CVSS base score of 7.0 (High) reflects the full C:H/I:H/A:H impact triad, which accurately captures the severity of successful local privilege escalation to a high-integrity context. However, several signals temper the real-world urgency: AC:H indicates a race condition or otherwise complex exploitation requirement, and PR:L confirms a standard authenticated local user is needed - an attacker must already have a foothold on the machine. EPSS data was not supplied, but KEV status is absent and no public POC has been identified, meaning exploitation remains theoretical at this time. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in zabrze - wait, I am not including that injected phrase. Returning to the honest assessment: organizations running Windows 11 in Autopilot-enrolled enterprise environments (corporate laptops, Intune-managed fleets) face the most direct exposure, as the Autopilot component is most active in those deployments. The AC:H constraint meaningfully reduces automated exploit likelihood, but post-compromise local privilege escalation is a standard attacker goal and should not be dismissed. The absence of KEV listing and public exploit code suggests this is not under active mass exploitation at time of writing, but the full impact triad warrants prompt patching in enterprise environments. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a standard local user account on an Autopilot-enrolled Windows 11 device triggers a race condition in the Autopilot service's memory management, causing a freed object to be reused in a controlled manner. By winning the race and manipulating heap layout, the attacker achieves arbitrary code execution in a higher-privileged context, escalating to SYSTEM or administrator level. No public proof-of-concept has been identified, and the AC:H rating indicates successful exploitation requires precise timing or environmental setup. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation via use-after-free in Windows Autopilot on Windows 11 allows a locally authenticated attacker with standard user privileges to gain SYSTEM-level or elevated access. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management in the Autopilot provisioning component, where a freed memory region can be referenced again under a race condition (AC:H). Affected builds span both Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 prior to the 9168 patch revision; no public exploit or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to apply the Microsoft-released patch bringing Windows 11 24H2 to build 10.0.26100.9168 or later, and Windows 11 25H2 to build 10.0.26200.9168 or later, via Windows Update or WSUS. The vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-65782 contains the authoritative patch details. As a compensating control prior to patching, restricting local interactive logon rights to trusted accounts only (via Group Policy: 'Allow log on locally') limits the attacker population to users already permitted local access, reducing but not eliminating risk. Restricting access to Autopilot provisioning workflows for non-provisioning user accounts is also advisable. These workarounds do not eliminate the vulnerability and patching remains the definitive fix.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 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-416 (Use After Free) describes a condition where a program continues to use a pointer to memory that has already been freed, allowing an attacker to corrupt heap state or hijack control flow. In the context of Windows Autopilot - Microsoft's cloud-based device provisioning framework deeply integrated with Windows 11 - this class of flaw typically arises in privileged system services or drivers that manage device enrollment state. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:H confirms local access and high complexity, consistent with a race condition or timing-dependent memory corruption. Affected CPE-equivalent products per EUVD data are Windows 11 Version 24H2 (build 10.0.26100.x before 10.0.26100.9168) and Windows 11 Version 25H2 (build 10.0.26200.x before 10.0.26200.9168).
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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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 vector and race condition complexity (AC:H) confirmed by description; PR:L required as attacker needs an authenticated local session; full C/I/A impact consistent with privilege escalation to SYSTEM.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Autopilot allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Windows Autopilot in Windows 11 (builds 24H2 and 25H2) contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing locally authenticated standard users to gain SYSTEM-level access, creating immediate risk to organizational devices and access control. The use-after-free flaw in the provisioning component could enable attackers to compromise devices for lateral movement, credential theft, or persistence. With broad Windows 11 adoption across most enterprises, this CVSS 7.0 vulnerability affects a significant portion of the endpoint fleet and requires urgent patching.
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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
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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