Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain elevated local account credentials
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DeliveryAuthenticate locally to target Windows system
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ExploitTrigger crafted Windows Hello operation
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ExecutionHeap buffer overflow corrupts memory
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PersistRedirect execution flow
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ImpactEscalate 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: (1) local authenticated access to the target Windows system (AV:L); (2) an account holding elevated, 'authorized' privileges as indicated by PR:H - a standard unprivileged user account cannot directly trigger the vulnerability. Remote unauthenticated exploitation is not possible given the local attack vector. The specific Windows Hello subsystem feature or operation that triggers the overflow is not detailed in the available description, so the precise internal trigger condition within Windows Hello is not independently confirmed. Limiting factors include the mandatory high-privilege prerequisite, local-only attack surface, and absence of any public exploit code. |
| Impact | The CVSS base score of 8.2 is driven primarily by the scope change and full C:H/I:H/A:H impact triad, but the local attack vector (AV:L) and high privilege requirement (PR:H) substantially constrain realistic exploitability - an attacker must first obtain authorized elevated local access to the target system before triggering the heap overflow. This positions the vulnerability firmly in the post-compromise or insider-threat category rather than as an initial-access vector. No KEV listing exists, no public exploit code has been identified, and EPSS data is absent from available input, all of which reinforce a lower operational urgency relative to the raw CVSS score. The combination of scope change and high CIA impact means that when exploitable conditions are met the blast radius is severe; patching across all supported Windows feature versions should be prioritized in the normal Patch Tuesday cycle, with heightened attention in environments where privileged local accounts are shared or where RDP/VDI environments expand the pool of users who satisfy the PR:H requirement. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained elevated local access - through credential theft, lateral movement from an earlier breach, or insider access - executes a crafted local operation against Windows Hello that triggers the heap-based buffer overflow, overwriting adjacent heap metadata or a function pointer to redirect execution. Successful exploitation elevates the attacker's privileges beyond the Windows Hello security boundary, potentially to SYSTEM level, enabling full control of the affected host. 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 Hello allows an attacker who already holds elevated local access to escalate privileges beyond the Windows Hello security boundary, achieving high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact across the broader Windows system. Affected builds span Windows 10 21H2/22H2 and Windows 11 23H2 through 26H1, representing virtually all currently supported Windows feature releases. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis; Microsoft has released patched builds via Patch Tuesday.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released security update via Windows Update, WSUS, or Microsoft Update Catalog targeting the following fixed build numbers: Windows 10 21H2 → 10.0.19044.7725; Windows 10 22H2 → 10.0.19045.7725; Windows 11 23H2 → 10.0.22631.7582; Windows 11 24H2 → 10.0.26100.9445; Windows 11 25H2 → 10.0.26200.9445; Windows 11 26H1 → 10.0.28000.2954. Specific KB article numbers should be retrieved from the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69820. As a compensating control pending patching, audit and restrict membership in local administrator and other elevated local groups to reduce the pool of accounts that satisfy the PR:H prerequisite - this limits exploitation opportunity without disabling Windows Hello for standard users.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 6 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Windows Hello is Microsoft's integrated biometric and PIN-based authentication framework, present across Windows 10 and Windows 11 as a core credential provider. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow), a memory corruption class where a write operation exceeds the allocation bounds of a heap buffer, which can enable control-flow hijacking or arbitrary code execution in the context of the vulnerable component. The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C indicates local exploitation by an already-authorized (PR:H) attacker without user interaction, with a scope change (S:C) meaning impact extends beyond Windows Hello itself - consistent with OS-level privilege escalation. Affected version ranges as reported by ENISA EUVD-2026-73640 span Windows 10 builds below 10.0.19044.7725 and 10.0.19045.7725, and Windows 11 builds below 10.0.22631.7582, 10.0.26100.9445, 10.0.26200.9445, and 10.0.28000.2954.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local attack vector and high-privilege prerequisite accurately reflect an authorized local attacker; scope change captures OS-level privilege escalation beyond the Windows Hello boundary.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Hello allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Hello enables attackers with elevated local access to escape the Windows Hello security boundary and gain complete system control, affecting virtually all currently supported Windows 10 and Windows 11 releases (versions 21H2, 22H2, 23H2 through 26H1). This vulnerability requires immediate patching across enterprise desktop and server infrastructure to prevent privilege escalation and potential data compromise.
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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-2026-73640
GHSA-qgw2-3v25-m63w
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB