Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessObtain local high-privilege code execution
-
DeliveryCraft malicious ALPC message with attacker-controlled pointer
-
ExploitSubmit message to vulnerable Windows ALPC kernel handler
-
ExecutionKernel dereferences untrusted pointer
-
PersistCorrupt kernel token/privilege structures
-
ImpactAchieve SYSTEM-level privilege escalation
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Untrusted pointer prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a local attacker who already holds high-privilege access on the target Windows system - the CVSS PR:H metric confirms this is not a remote or unauthenticated attack vector. The attacker must have the ability to send crafted ALPC messages to the vulnerable kernel endpoint, which presupposes local code execution rights at an elevated privilege level (e.g., local administrator, a privileged service account, or malware that has already escalated to that level via another vector). This makes the vulnerability a post-exploitation privilege escalation primitive rather than an initial compromise vector. The vulnerability is platform-scoped to Windows (not Linux or macOS), and specifically to Windows builds below the patched versions across Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019-2025. Exploitation is limited to local attack scenarios; network-remote exploitation is not possible per the AV:L vector. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 reflects the scope-changed, high-impact nature of this privilege-escalation primitive offset by the requirement for local access with already-high privileges (PR:H). In practice, PR:H means the attack requires an account that has already achieved some level of administrative presence - this is a post-exploitation step rather than an initial-access vector, which substantially narrows the realistic attacker population. However, within that population (e.g., malware running as a privileged process, or an insider threat), the AC:L rating means exploitation is expected to be reliable and repeatable without special timing or race conditions. The scope-change (S:C with C:H/I:H/A:H) signals that a successful exploit escapes the initiating privilege context entirely, making this a kernel-level compromise primitive. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in kalisz should treat this as urgent patch prioritization given that any established foothold with elevated-user rights becomes a full kernel compromise. EPSS data was not provided in this submission; no CISA KEV listing or public POC is confirmed. The 'Information Disclosure' metadata tag on this record is factually incorrect - the vulnerability is an elevation of privilege, not primarily an information-disclosure issue. That mislabeling is a data-quality concern noted separately. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained code execution under a high-privilege Windows account (e.g., a compromised service account or malware running as a local administrator) crafts a malicious ALPC message with a controlled pointer value targeting a kernel object. The ALPC handler dereferences the untrusted pointer, allowing the attacker to corrupt kernel token structures and elevate to SYSTEM-level access, achieving full host compromise. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis, but the AC:L rating suggests the technique is straightforward once the CWE-822 dereference primitive is understood. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) allows an attacker already holding high administrative privileges to further escalate to kernel-level or system-level access via untrusted pointer dereference (CWE-822). The vulnerability affects a wide sweep of Windows releases - from Windows 10 version 1809 through Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2019 through Server 2025 - and is confirmed patched by Microsoft. The CVSS scope-change flag (S:C) indicates the exploit crosses privilege boundaries beyond the initially compromised component, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on subordinate system resources. No public exploit or active exploitation (CISA KEV) has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update addressing CVE-2026-69874 through Windows Update, WSUS, or Microsoft Update Catalog; exact target build numbers per platform are listed under affected_products above. The patch is confirmed available per the vendor (reported by secure@microsoft.com). Because this vulnerability requires local access with high privileges (PR:H), short-term compensating controls while patching proceeds include enforcing least-privilege principles to limit accounts that can issue ALPC calls, reviewing and restricting which service accounts hold SeDebugPrivilege or equivalent, and deploying Windows Defender Credential Guard or Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) to harden kernel-object isolation - though these reduce attack surface rather than eliminate the vulnerability. Monitor for anomalous ALPC-related kernel activity via Windows ETW/Event Tracing. Prioritize Server 2025 and Windows 11 24H2+ endpoints given their prevalence in current enterprise deployments.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 12 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) is a kernel-mode IPC facility in the Windows NT kernel used pervasively for inter-process and user-to-kernel communication. CWE-822 (Untrusted Pointer Dereference) describes a class of memory-safety defects where an attacker-controlled value is used as a pointer without adequate validation; in kernel IPC handlers this typically means a crafted message causes the kernel to dereference an arbitrary address, enabling arbitrary read/write primitives. Because ALPC messages cross the user-kernel boundary, a triggerable untrusted dereference in the kernel handler can be leveraged to overwrite kernel objects (e.g., tokens, privileges) and achieve privilege escalation with scope change beyond the calling process. Affected CPEs span Windows 10 (build 17763 through 19045), Windows 11 (builds 22631 through 28000), and Windows Server 2019 through 2025, all below their respective patched build numbers confirmed by EUVD-2026-73637.
Know when Windows 10 1809 gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor-supplied vector is well-grounded: local access required (AV:L), high privileges already needed (PR:H), reliable low-complexity exploit (AC:L), kernel scope change (S:C) yielding full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
Untrusted pointer dereference in Windows ALPC allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows ALPC affects all supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server editions through 2025, allowing administrators to escalate to kernel-level access and fully compromise system integrity. This vulnerability creates risk of insider-driven persistent compromise and unauthorized system control across your Windows infrastructure. Organizations with unpatched systems face elevated exposure if administrative accounts are breached or compromised.
Apply vendor patch.
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
More in Windows 10 1809
View allWindows MSHTML component contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to craft malicious ActiveX
<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged fi
Windows MSDT (Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool) allows remote code execution when called via the ms-msdt URL protocol f
Windows Win32k contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability enabling local privilege escalation to SYSTEM, exploited by
Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no auth
Windows contains an elevation of privilege vulnerability known as 'HiveNightmare' or 'SeriousSAM' where overly permissiv
Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo
Internet Shortcut Files Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is rem
Denial of service against HTTP/2 server implementations allows remote unauthenticated attackers to exhaust server resour
Windows Kernel contains a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability allowing local privilege escalation, exploited by the OilR
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in
Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables
EUVD-2026-73637
GHSA-6hh7-h956-4q53
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB