Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconAuthenticate with low-privileged account
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DeliveryEstablish RDP or graphical session to target
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ExploitTrigger crafted Win32K API call sequence
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InstallFree kernel heap object, retain dangling pointer
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C2Dereference freed memory to corrupt kernel structure
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ExecuteOverwrite security token pointer
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ImpactExecute code as SYSTEM
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 a low-privileged but authenticated account on or networked to the target system - PR:L in the CVSS vector confirms a non-anonymous credential is mandatory. The UI:R flag indicates a user interaction step is required; this likely means a target user session must be active and processing graphical events (e.g., an RDP session where the attacker can trigger Win32K calls). Attack complexity is rated High (AC:H), reflecting the precision required to reliably exploit UAF race conditions in the kernel. Exploitation is limited by: requirement for prior authentication with at least low privileges, need for user interaction in the target session, high exploitation complexity, and the network delivery path being dependent on graphical session access (RDP or equivalent) rather than a generic internet-exposed service. |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.1 score reflects the genuine friction in exploiting this class: high attack complexity (AC:H) and required user interaction (UI:R) meaningfully reduce the automation potential compared to unauthenticated network exploits. Despite the C:H/I:H/A:H impact triad, this is an elevation-of-privilege path, not a direct remote-code-execution entry point - an attacker must already hold a low-privileged account on or connected to the target system. The network attack vector is notable for a Win32K flaw and likely implies exploitation via RDP or a similar remote graphics session rather than a pure unauthenticated internet-exposed channel; this should be verified against the Microsoft MSRC advisory. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified, and EPSS data was not provided, so base-rate exploitation probability cannot be quantified. In practice, even a mid-sized municipal IT team in gdynia should treat this as urgent given the breadth of affected Windows versions and the historical record of Win32K UAF flaws being weaponized in targeted attacks once POC code emerges. The 'Denial Of Service' tag in the input metadata appears mislabeled - the primary impact is privilege escalation, not service disruption. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a low-privileged domain or local account connects to a Windows system via Remote Desktop or a similar graphical session that exercises Win32K primitives. By triggering a crafted sequence of Win32K API calls that causes a heap object to be freed while a dangling reference is retained, the attacker corrupts a kernel structure to overwrite security token pointers, elevating their process to SYSTEM privileges. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but Win32K UAF exploits have historically been developed into reliable local-to-SYSTEM chains within weeks of disclosure. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 08, 2026
Use-after-free in the Windows Win32K kernel subsystem allows an authenticated low-privileged attacker to escalate privileges to a higher level on affected Windows systems. Win32K is the kernel-mode graphics and windowing component; UAF memory corruption in this subsystem is a well-established privilege escalation class. The attack carries high complexity (AC:H) and requires user interaction (UI:R), and Microsoft has released patched builds across a wide range of Windows client and server versions. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Microsoft has released patched builds for all affected versions. Administrators should apply the relevant Cumulative Update or security-only patch corresponding to their Windows release: Windows Server 2012 R2 to build 6.3.9600.23397; Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 1607 to 10.0.14393.9512; Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 1809 to 10.0.17763.9245; Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5622; Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7725; Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7725; Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7582; Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.33438 or 10.0.26100.9445; Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9445; Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2954. Full patch details are at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69274. Where immediate patching is not feasible and exploitation appears to rely on RDP sessions, restricting RDP access via firewall rules or Network Level Authentication (NLA) enforcement can raise the exploitation bar, though it does not eliminate risk for already-authenticated local users.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 17 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Win32K (win32k.sys) is the kernel-mode component of the Windows graphics and windowing subsystem, handling GDI, USER, and DirectX primitives. CWE-416 (Use After Free) describes a condition where heap memory is freed but a dangling pointer remains, allowing subsequent dereference to corrupt adjacent kernel structures or redirect execution. In Win32K, UAF vulnerabilities have historically been exploited to overwrite kernel objects such as tagWND or SURFOBJ to forge security tokens or execute shellcode in kernel context, achieving SYSTEM-level privileges. The CVSS vector specifies AV:N, suggesting the triggering path is accessible over a network (plausibly through a Remote Desktop or remote graphics session), with PR:L indicating a non-anonymous but low-privileged account is required, and UI:R indicating a user interaction step is involved. Affected builds span Windows 10 version 1607 through Windows 11 26H1 and multiple Windows Server releases.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Accepts Microsoft's vector: AV:N for graphical-session delivery, AC:H for UAF complexity, PR:L for required authentication, UI:R for active session requirement.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Win32K allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Win32K kernel subsystem (CVSS 7.1) allows authenticated users to elevate to higher privilege levels on affected Windows systems. Organizations operating Windows client and server environments face insider risk if standard-user accounts are compromised, as attackers could escalate access to administrative rights to bypass controls and access sensitive systems.
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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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EUVD-2026-73421
GHSA-x62x-ch84-xx6q
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB