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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DeliverySend crafted VSS/RPC network request to target
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ExploitTrigger out-of-bounds read in VOLSNAP.SYS kernel driver
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ExecutionLeak kernel memory to defeat KASLR
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PersistLeverage disclosed pointers in follow-up operation
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ImpactEscalate to SYSTEM privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, read limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Collection 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 low-privileged authenticated account on the target Windows system or network (PR:L per CVSS vector). The exploit path is network-reachable (AV:N), consistent with a remotely invoked Volume Shadow Copy or RPC-based interaction with VOLSNAP.SYS. User interaction is required (UI:R), likely corresponding to a user or privileged service triggering a volume shadow copy operation at the moment of exploitation - meaning the attacker cannot independently force the exploit to complete without some concurrent activity on the target. Unauthenticated remote exploitation is not indicated by the available data. The vulnerability is not restricted to a specific non-default configuration - VSS is enabled by default on Windows - but successful exploitation over the network requires the VSS/RPC service to be reachable from the attacker's network position. The UI:R requirement, while a real constraint, should not be relied upon as a compensating control since scheduled backup jobs and administrative shadow copy operations occur frequently in enterprise environments. |
| Impact | The CVSS 8.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) represents a meaningful real-world risk: network reachability with low complexity and only a low-privileged account is a strong exploitation profile, partially offset by the UI:R requirement. The affected surface is exceptionally broad - Windows is ubiquitous and the vulnerability spans Server 2012 (formally end-of-life but covered here), Server 2012 R2, Server 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025, and Windows 10/11 across multiple feature updates - making mass exposure a realistic concern once exploitation tooling matures. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so statistical exploitation probability cannot be independently assessed. No CISA KEV listing and no public proof-of-concept code have been identified, suggesting exploitation remains theoretical or non-public at time of analysis. The UI:R constraint provides a partial mitigating factor but should not be treated as a reliable compensating control in production environments. Overall, the combination of network vector, low-privilege requirement, ubiquitous deployment, and full C:H/I:H/A:H impact places this firmly in patch-urgently territory, especially for internet-facing Windows Server deployments exposing VSS-accessible network services. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged domain user or service account authenticates to a Windows host exposing Volume Shadow Copy functionality over the network, then submits a crafted VSS request that triggers an out-of-bounds read in VOLSNAP.SYS. The OOB read leaks kernel memory content - potentially including pointers that defeat KASLR - which the attacker uses in a subsequent operation to escalate to SYSTEM-level execution. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis, but the low access complexity and network vector make this an attractive target for post-exploitation frameworks once a working primitive is developed. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026
Privilege escalation via out-of-bounds read in VOLSNAP.SYS, the Windows Volume Shadow Copy kernel-mode driver, allows a low-privileged network attacker to achieve SYSTEM-level code execution across virtually all Windows client and server versions from Server 2012 to Server 2025. The CVSS 8.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R) confirms the exploit is network-reachable with low access complexity and a low-privileged account, constrained only by a user interaction requirement. No public exploit code and no CISA KEV listing have been identified at time of analysis; Microsoft has released patches for all affected versions.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft-released security update for CVE-2026-69427 immediately via Windows Update, Microsoft Update Catalog, or WSUS; target build numbers for each affected OS version are listed in the affected_products field. The authoritative MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69427 provides direct download links for each applicable update package. Where immediate patching is not feasible - for example, on legacy Server 2012/2012 R2 systems - compensating controls should include restricting inbound network access to RPC and VSS-related ports (TCP 135 and dynamically assigned RPC ports) at the network perimeter or host-based firewall, and limiting which accounts are permitted to invoke VSS operations remotely via Group Policy. Note that blocking VSS network access will disrupt remote backup and shadow copy operations that rely on VSS over the network. End-of-life systems (Server 2012/2012 R2) without extended security updates should be prioritized for either ESU enrollment or decommissioning.
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
VOLSNAP.SYS is the Windows kernel-mode driver implementing Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) functionality, responsible for managing point-in-time snapshot operations on NTFS and ReFS volumes. The root cause is CWE-125 (Out-of-Bounds Read): the driver processes a crafted input - accessible over a network path consistent with the AV:N CVSS metric - and reads memory beyond the intended buffer boundary. In kernel-mode drivers, OOB reads are frequently leveraged as a stepping stone to full privilege escalation: leaked kernel memory can defeat KASLR (Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization), expose sensitive pointers, or provide a read primitive chained with a follow-up write to achieve arbitrary code execution at SYSTEM level. Affected CPE strings span Windows 10 versions 1607 through 22H2, Windows 11 versions 23H2 through 26H1, and Windows Server 2012 through Server 2025 (including all Server Core installation variants), as confirmed by EUVD-2026-73498.
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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 OOB read requires a low-privilege account and user interaction; full C/I/A impact reflects realistic SYSTEM-level privilege escalation via kernel memory leak chain.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Out-of-bounds read in Windows VOLSNAP.SYS allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Volume Shadow Copy driver (VOLSNAP.SYS) affects Windows Server 2012 through 2025 and Windows client systems, allowing low-privileged attackers to achieve SYSTEM-level code execution and complete infrastructure compromise. This vulnerability poses an immediate risk to all Windows-based systems organization-wide, requiring urgent patch deployment to prevent unauthorized administrative access.
Apply vendor patch. For systems where immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network and local access for low-privileged user accounts on critical systems; implement enhanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) monitoring to identify VOLSNAP.SYS driver anomalies, privilege escalation attempts, and suspicious SYSTEM-level process activity; enforce user awareness training to reduce the risk of low-privileged account compromise through social engineering.
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
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EUVD-2026-73498
GHSA-54w5-fp6f-vvcj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB