Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged Windows account
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DeliveryReach target host over network (SMB/storage protocol)
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ExploitCraft malformed volume operation request
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ExecutionAwait or socially engineer user interaction trigger
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PersistHeap overflow overwrites kernel structures
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ImpactElevate to SYSTEM privileges
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 the attacker to hold a valid low-privileged account (PR:L) on the target Windows system or domain, ruling out fully unauthenticated remote attacks. The CVSS UI:R metric confirms that successful exploitation also requires some form of user interaction - likely a legitimate user initiating or approving a volume-related storage operation that the attacker can influence or time their request against. The network attack vector (AV:N) means the attacker does not need local or adjacent-network access; any routable network path to a Windows host with exposed storage services suffices. Exploitation is limited by: (1) the requirement for a pre-existing authenticated account, preventing purely anonymous attacks; (2) user interaction as a necessary trigger, complicating fully automated exploitation; (3) network exposure of storage protocols - environments that firewall SMB/iSCSI at the perimeter have reduced exposure. Default Windows installations with SMB enabled on domain networks satisfy the attack conditions without additional configuration changes. |
| Impact | CVSS 8.0 with AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R accurately captures a meaningful but not trivially weaponizable threat: exploitation requires an existing low-privileged account and some form of user interaction, which limits fully automated mass exploitation. EPSS data is not provided in the input, but given the breadth of affected platforms and the Microsoft provenance (reported via secure@microsoft.com), real-world risk is elevated. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, suggesting no confirmed active exploitation. That said, even a mid-sized municipal IT team in gdynia should treat this as urgent, because the sheer surface area - covering virtually every supported and recently end-of-life'd Windows version - means unpatched hosts across diverse environments are exposed. The UI:R requirement is the primary friction point distinguishing this from a fully remotely exploitable critical; defenders should focus on patch deployment rather than rely on UI:R as a durable mitigating factor. SSVC assessment: exploitation status Not-Detected, automatable No (UI:R), technical impact Total - priority is Attend to High. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a low-privileged domain or local account on a Windows network crafts a malicious storage operation request - for example, via an SMB-accessible share or network volume - targeting the Volume Manager Driver. The request triggers a heap overflow in the kernel driver, and with the victim user initiating or approving a storage operation (satisfying UI:R), the attacker overwrites kernel structures to redirect execution and gain SYSTEM-level privileges. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows' Volume Manager Driver enables a low-privileged authenticated attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM over a network, achieving full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise on the target host. The flaw spans an exceptionally wide range of Microsoft Windows versions, from Server 2012 through Windows 11 26H1 and Server 2025, making remediation breadth a significant operational challenge. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing exists at time of analysis, but vendor-released patches are available and should be applied promptly given the C:H/I:H/A:H impact potential.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is applying Microsoft's vendor-released security update through Windows Update, WSUS, or SCCM/Intune, targeting the build thresholds listed per platform in the affected-products section. Organizations should prioritize Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 deployments and Windows 11 enterprise endpoints given their prevalence in modern environments; Server 2012 and 2012 R2 systems are end-of-life and will require Extended Security Updates (ESU) entitlement to receive this patch. As a compensating control pending patch deployment, restricting network-accessible storage protocols (SMB, iSCSI) to trusted internal segments via network ACLs reduces the AV:N attack surface, though this may impact legitimate file-sharing workloads. Enforcing least-privilege principles and auditing which accounts hold any storage-related elevated permissions limits potential attacker footholds. The Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69418 should be consulted for the official patch manifest and deployment guidance.
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
The Windows Volume Manager Driver (volmgr.sys and related kernel components) is responsible for managing logical disk volumes and handling storage I/O operations at the kernel level. CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) indicates that attacker-controlled input causes a write beyond the allocated heap buffer within this driver, likely during processing of a crafted storage-protocol request or mounted volume operation. Because this driver runs at kernel privilege, a successful overflow can overwrite adjacent heap metadata or function pointers, enabling arbitrary code execution in kernel context and thus full privilege escalation from a low-privileged account. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R) indicates the attack is reachable over the network - consistent with network-attached storage protocols such as SMB or iSCSI - and requires low-level authenticated access plus a user-interaction trigger. Affected CPE spans Windows 10 (versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (versions 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1), and Windows Server (2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025) in both full-install and Server Core configurations.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable kernel heap overflow requiring low-privileged auth and user interaction; full impact appropriate for kernel-level privilege escalation with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Volume Manager Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Executive ViewAI
The Windows Volume Manager Driver vulnerability affects all supported Windows Server versions from 2012 through 2025 and Windows 10/11 clients, enabling authenticated users to escalate privileges to full system administrator level and achieve complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise. This broad version range creates significant remediation scope and lateral movement risk across enterprise Windows infrastructure.
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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-2026-72964
GHSA-hrrv-7vmr-jmf8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB