Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessAttain low-privileged local session
-
DeliveryCraft malformed IPC request to WinBioSrvc
-
ExploitTrigger heap buffer overflow in service process
-
ExecutionOverwrite heap metadata or function pointer
-
PersistExecute arbitrary shellcode as SYSTEM
-
ImpactFull OS compromise
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 | The attacker must already hold a valid, low-privileged local account on the target system (PR:L in CVSS). The Windows Biometric Service (WbioSrvc) must be running - it is enabled by default on Windows 10 and Windows 11 installations, and on Windows Server when the Desktop Experience feature is installed, but may be disabled in Server Core hardened configurations without Desktop Experience. No network access is required; exploitation is entirely local. No user interaction from a third party is required once the attacker has their session. Exploitation is limited to users who can execute local processes - purely remote-only threat actors without an existing foothold cannot trigger this vulnerability directly. |
| Impact | CVSS 3.1 scores this at 7.8 (High) with AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, reflecting local-only exploitation requiring a valid (low-privilege) account. This is a classic local privilege escalation (LPE) class: impactful when an attacker already has a foothold, but not directly exploitable over the network. The low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N) make it a reliable post-exploitation step - once a user executes any code (e.g., via phishing or a separate initial access vulnerability), this could provide a deterministic path to SYSTEM. No EPSS data was provided and no KEV listing exists, suggesting exploitation is not currently widespread. No public POC has been identified. However, the extremely broad affected version range - covering virtually every supported Windows release - means the at-risk population is enormous, which elevates operational priority for endpoint-heavy organizations. The 7.8 score is appropriate and not overstated: the local vector genuinely limits autonomous spreading. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained a low-privileged local shell - for example, via a phishing payload, a vulnerable remote service, or physical access - sends a specially crafted request to the Windows Biometric Service's local IPC interface. The malformed input triggers the heap overflow, corrupting heap metadata or a function pointer within the WinBioSrvc process, which runs with SYSTEM-level privileges. The attacker's shellcode executes as SYSTEM, granting full control of the operating system. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis, but the AC:L rating indicates the overflow is reliably reproducible without race conditions or special timing. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 08, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Windows Biometric Service (WinBio) allows an authenticated low-privileged user to gain full system control via a heap-based buffer overflow. The flaw spans a broad surface - Windows 10 versions 1607 through 22H2, Windows 11 versions 23H2 through 26H1, and Windows Server 2016 through 2025 - all pre-patched builds are affected. Microsoft has released security updates addressing the overflow; no public exploit code or active exploitation (CISA KEV) has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft Security Update for the relevant Windows release, available through Windows Update, WSUS, or Microsoft Update Catalog. Specific patched build targets per platform are: Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 1607 → 10.0.14393.9512; Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 1809 → 10.0.17763.9245; 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 Server 2025 → 10.0.26100.33438; Windows 11 25H2 → 10.0.26200.9445; Windows 11 26H1 → 10.0.28000.2954. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, organizations can disable the Windows Biometric Service (WbioSrvc) via Group Policy or the Services MMC snap-in - note this will disable Windows Hello biometric authentication (fingerprint and face recognition) for all users on the affected system, which may impact user experience and alternative authentication workflows must be in place. Restricting local interactive login to only necessary privileged accounts on sensitive systems also reduces the exploitable population. Full advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72997.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 15 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 Biometric Service (WinBioSrvc) is a Windows OS service that provides a framework for fingerprint readers, facial recognition cameras, and other biometric sensors to authenticate users and provide API access for applications. CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) describes a condition where more data is written into a heap-allocated buffer than it can hold, corrupting adjacent heap metadata or function pointers. In the WinBio service context, the overflow is most plausibly triggered by a malformed request from a low-privileged caller to the service's local IPC interface, causing the service - which runs with elevated privileges - to process attacker-controlled data without adequate bounds checking. Affected CPE covers the full modern Windows ecosystem: Windows 10 from build 10.0.14393 (1607) through 10.0.19045 (22H2), Windows 11 from 10.0.22631 (23H2) through 10.0.28000 (26H1), and Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025.
Know when Windows 10 1607 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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only heap overflow in a privileged Windows service; low-privilege account sufficient, no interaction needed, full CIA impact upon SYSTEM elevation.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Biometric Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Biometric Service affects all current Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server products. Any authenticated user-including contractors, remote workers, or accounts with minimal permissions-can instantly elevate to full administrative control. This represents a critical risk to organizational data and system integrity across your entire Windows infrastructure.
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
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.
More in Windows 10 1607
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
The SMBv1 server in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows
The Windows VBScript engine contains a remote code execution vulnerability in object handling that allows full system co
Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no auth
The Win32k kernel-mode driver in Windows Vista through Windows Server 2016 allows local privilege escalation, exploited
Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo
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
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in
EUVD-2026-73752
GHSA-26vj-xmf3-cjqj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB