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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain physical access to unpatched Windows system
  2. Delivery
    Deliver crafted input to VSS service interface
  3. Exploit
    Trigger heap-based buffer overflow in vssvc.exe
  4. Execution
    Overwrite heap metadata or function pointer
  5. Persist
    Redirect execution flow
  6. Impact
    Elevate 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

Physical access to the target machine is required (CVSS AV:P) - this is the single most important limiting condition. No authentication credentials are required (PR:N), meaning the attacker does not need a valid Windows account before triggering the overflow; the attack is feasible from a pre-login state or via hardware-level interaction. No user interaction is needed (UI:N). Exploitation is not automatable over a network and cannot be performed remotely. The vulnerability applies across default configurations of all affected Windows and Windows Server editions listed; no special optional feature or non-default configuration is required beyond physical machine access. Defenders should assess risk against physical security posture: environments with strict physical controls (locked server rooms, secure workstations) face substantially lower real-world risk than shared-access or kiosk deployments.

Impact

Despite a CVSS score of only 6.8, the technical impact is total (SSVC: Technical Impact: total) - a successful exploit yields full system compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H). The score is moderated primarily by the physical attack vector (AV:P), which is the dominant risk-limiting factor: exploitation requires the attacker to be physically present at or connected to the machine. SSVC confirms Automatable: no and Exploitation: none, consistent with the physical constraint making mass or remote exploitation impossible. No EPSS data was provided in the input. The absence of a KEV listing and no public POC further support a lower operational urgency for networked environments. However, for deployment contexts with untrusted physical access - shared workstations, kiosks, publicly accessible terminals, insufficiently secured data center racks, or insider threat scenarios - the risk is material given the full privilege escalation outcome. The breadth of affected Windows versions (Server 2012 through Windows 11 26H1) means the attack surface is wide wherever physical controls are inadequate.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with physical access to an unpatched Windows machine - such as an insider, a person accessing an unattended workstation, or someone with unauthorized data center access - triggers the heap-based buffer overflow by directing crafted input through the Volume Shadow Copy Service subsystem. The corrupted heap state is leveraged to redirect code execution, escalating the attacker's privileges to SYSTEM level. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the AC:L rating suggests exploitation mechanics are relatively straightforward once physical access is secured.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026

Privilege escalation to SYSTEM level is achievable in Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) across a broad range of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server releases, from Server 2012 through Windows 11 25H2 and Server 2025. The root cause is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the target machine, yielding full C:H/I:H/A:H impact. SSVC assessment confirms no current exploitation and a non-automatable attack path; no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch is available from Microsoft via the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72985. Apply Windows security updates to reach the following patched build numbers: Windows Server 2012/Server Core to 6.2.9200.26349 or later; Windows Server 2012 R2/Server Core to 6.3.9600.23397 or later; Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016/Server Core to 10.0.14393.9512 or later; Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019/Server Core to 10.0.17763.9245 or later; Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5622 or later; Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19044.7725 or later; Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.7725 or later; Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7582 or later; Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9445 or later; Windows Server 2025/Server Core to 10.0.26100.33438 or later; Windows 11 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9445 or later; Windows 11 26H1 to 10.0.28000.2954 or later. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, enforce strict physical access controls - locked racks, badge-access server rooms, disabled external ports (USB/Thunderbolt/FireWire) - as compensating controls, though these do not eliminate the vulnerability.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9512
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19045.7725
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26349
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33438
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9245
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7582
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33438
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7725
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9245
Windows 10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9512
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9512
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26349
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9445
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23397
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.2954
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9445
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9245
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23397
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5622

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1607 fix: 10.0.14393.9512
euvd windows_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.9245
euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7725
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19045.7725
euvd windows_11_version_23h2 fix: 10.0.22631.7582
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.9445
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.9445
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.2954
euvd windows_server_2012 fix: 6.2.9200.26349
euvd windows_server_2012_r2 fix: 6.3.9600.23397
euvd windows_server_2012_r2_server_core_installation fix: 6.3.9600.23397
euvd windows_server_2012_server_core_installation fix: 6.2.9200.26349
euvd windows_server_2016 fix: 10.0.14393.9512
euvd windows_server_2016_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.14393.9512
euvd windows_server_2019 fix: 10.0.17763.9245
euvd windows_server_2019_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.17763.9245
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5622
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.33438
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.33438

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

Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (vssvc.exe) provides point-in-time snapshot and backup capabilities built into all modern Windows editions. CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) indicates the flaw lies in dynamic memory management within the VSS processing path - a crafted input causes a write beyond allocated heap buffer boundaries, enabling overwrite of adjacent heap metadata or function pointers. The physical attack vector (AV:P) in the CVSS vector is consistent with exploitation scenarios requiring hands-on access to the machine console, hardware interface, or local storage. Affected CPE identities span Windows NT 6.2 (Server 2012) through Windows NT 10.0.28000 (Windows 11 26H1), confirming the flaw resides in shared VSS code shipped across the entire Windows platform family.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 6.8 MEDIUM
AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.8 MEDIUM

Physical access required per description and AV:P; no credentials needed (PR:N); full C/I/A from SYSTEM-level privilege escalation outcome.

3.1 AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:P/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Physical
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 08, 2026 - 18:35 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 08, 2026 - 18:20 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Volume Shadow Copy allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 76% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Windows deployed across virtually all enterprise and consumer environments globally
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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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