Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged domain credentials
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DeliveryReach domain controller port 88 over network
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ExploitSend crafted Kerberos request triggering use-after-free
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ExecutionCorrupt KDC process memory
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PersistExecute arbitrary code as privileged service
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ImpactFully compromise Active Directory domain
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 | The attacker must hold a valid low-privileged Active Directory domain account (PR:L per CVSS) and have network connectivity to TCP/UDP port 88 on a Windows Server domain controller running the KDC service. No special configuration is required beyond a standard Active Directory domain deployment - KDC is enabled by default on every domain controller and cannot be disabled without breaking domain authentication. Exploitation is limited to principals that can authenticate to the domain; unauthenticated external attackers cannot reach the vulnerable code path without valid credentials. Exploitation complexity is low (AC:L), and no user interaction is needed from any administrator or victim. |
| Impact | CVSS 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately reflects a high-severity network-exploitable flaw requiring only low privileges. The low attack complexity and absence of user-interaction requirements mean that any authenticated domain user - including service accounts or accounts with minimal rights - could attempt exploitation from any network-accessible position reaching TCP/UDP port 88 on a domain controller. Domain controllers are critical infrastructure; code execution on a DC effectively means full Active Directory compromise, so the C:H/I:H/A:H impact ratings are well-grounded. No EPSS data was provided in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified; the absence of KEV listing and public POC lowers immediate urgency marginally, but the low barrier (PR:L, AC:L) means any mid-sized enterprise network exposing KDC to authenticated users - which is by definition every Active Directory deployment - should treat patching as urgent. The 'Denial of Service' tag in the input metadata understates the actual impact: the CVSS triple-H and the description both confirm code execution, not merely availability loss. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with any valid low-privileged domain account (e.g., a standard user account or a compromised service account) sends a specially crafted Kerberos authentication request over the network to port 88 on a domain controller, triggering the use-after-free condition in the KDC request-handling path. Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution in the context of the KDC service process, which runs with high privileges on domain controllers, enabling full Active Directory compromise. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, but the low complexity and low privilege barrier make this an attractive target for post-authentication lateral movement. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026
Remote code execution in the Windows Key Distribution Center (KDC) - the Kerberos authentication service running on every Active Directory domain controller - allows a low-privileged authenticated network attacker to execute arbitrary code via a use-after-free memory corruption flaw (CWE-416). Every currently-supported Windows Server release from Server 2012 through Server 2025 is affected, spanning the full breadth of enterprise Active Directory infrastructure. Microsoft has released patches with exact build-level thresholds per platform; no public exploit code and no CISA KEV listing are identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft Security Update for each affected platform to meet or exceed the minimum patched build: Server 2012 ≥6.2.9200.26349, Server 2012 R2 ≥6.3.9600.23397, Server 2016 ≥10.0.14393.9512, Server 2019 ≥10.0.17763.9245, Server 2022 ≥10.0.20348.5622, Server 2025 ≥10.0.26100.33438. Full advisory and update package links are available at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69712. For environments where immediate patching of domain controllers is not feasible, restrict network access to port 88 (TCP and UDP) on domain controllers to trusted management subnets and authenticated client VLAN segments only using perimeter or host-based firewall rules; note that this will not prevent exploitation by any already-on-network authenticated principal and will cause Kerberos authentication failures for hosts outside the permitted subnets, so plan the ACL scope carefully. There is no documented feature-level workaround for the KDC itself - patching is the definitive fix.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 11 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 KDC implements the Kerberos v5 authentication protocol (RFC 4120) and runs as a core service (kdcsvc.dll) on Active Directory Domain Controllers, typically listening on TCP/UDP port 88. CWE-416 (Use After Free) occurs when code references memory that has already been deallocated; in network-facing request processing paths this can be triggered remotely without requiring physical access. The EUVD-supplied affected version ranges confirm the flaw is present in kdc-related components across Windows Server 2012 (NT 6.2), 2012 R2 (NT 6.3), 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025, covering both full and Server Core installation types. Because the KDC operates within the lsass.exe or a dedicated service context on domain controllers, successful exploitation carries extremely high post-compromise value.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable KDC requires only a valid domain account (PR:L); no configuration prerequisite beyond standard AD; code execution yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Key Distribution Center allows an authorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A critical vulnerability in Active Directory domain controllers (Windows Server 2012-2025) allows any domain user to gain complete control of the organization's identity infrastructure through remote code execution. No public exploit identified at time of analysis. Domain controller compromise puts every system, user account, and credential in the enterprise at risk, as controllers are the foundation of all Windows authentication and access control. Immediate patching across all domain controllers is essential to prevent potential takeover of the organization's entire IT 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
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.
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