Skip to main content
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Gain physical access to target machine
  2. Delivery
    Insert crafted USB hub device
  3. Exploit
    USB Hub Driver parses malformed descriptors
  4. Execution
    Trigger out-of-bounds kernel read (CWE-125)
  5. Persist
    Exploit memory primitive for privilege escalation
  6. Impact
    Execute code as SYSTEM

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

Physical access to an exposed USB port on the target system is the sole and mandatory prerequisite; there is no network-based exploitation path. The attacker must plug a specially crafted USB device (emulating a malformed hub) directly into the machine. No authentication, no logged-in user session, and no user interaction are required - the driver processes USB descriptors automatically upon device insertion. The physical access requirement is the primary limiting factor: organizations with locked chassis, USB port blockers, physical security perimeters, or Group Policy-enforced USB device restrictions are significantly protected. All unpatched Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server builds listed in the affected range running the default usbhub.sys driver are vulnerable in their default configuration.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8 accurately reflects the physical-access requirement (AV:P), which is the dominant risk-limiting factor: an attacker must be within arm's reach of an unlocked or powered USB port. Despite C:H/I:H/A:H impact metrics - consistent with full OS compromise via kernel-level EoP - the physical vector drastically narrows the realistic threat population to insiders, supply-chain actors, and scenarios involving unattended workstations or shared lab/kiosk machines. EPSS data is not provided in the input; KEV status is not confirmed by CISA at the time of this analysis, and no public exploit code has been identified. For most enterprise environments with standard physical security controls, this vulnerability represents a medium operational priority: critical for high-value targets (executives, air-gapped systems, classified workstations) and scenarios where USB ports are accessible to untrusted parties, but low urgency for hardened environments where USB access is already restricted. The breadth of the patch surface (15 distinct Windows build ranges) confirms systemic prevalence of the affected driver code.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with brief physical access to a target workstation - for example, a malicious insider or a visitor left momentarily unattended - plugs a pre-programmed USB device (a Raspberry Pi or commercial USB attack tool emulating a malformed hub) into an exposed USB port. The Windows USB Hub Driver reads beyond the bounds of a kernel buffer while parsing the device's crafted descriptors, providing a memory disclosure or corruption primitive. The attacker leverages this primitive to escalate from an unprivileged user or unauthenticated hardware context to SYSTEM privileges, achieving full control of the machine. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.

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

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026

Privilege escalation via physical USB attack affects the Windows USB Hub Driver across a wide range of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server releases. An out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) in the kernel-mode USB Hub Driver can be triggered by an attacker who plugs a crafted USB device into an exposed port, ultimately enabling full system compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H). No authentication or user interaction is required beyond physical proximity; the attack is constrained solely by the requirement of physical access to the target machine. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and Microsoft has released patches across all affected Windows versions.

RemediationAI

Apply the Microsoft-released patches for each affected Windows version via Windows Update or WSUS; exact patched build thresholds are listed in the affected products section above (e.g., Windows 11 24H2 requires build 10.0.26100.9445 or later, Windows Server 2025 requires 10.0.26100.33438 or later). Consult the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72999 for the full patch matrix. As a compensating control where patching is delayed, organizations should enforce USB port restrictions via Group Policy (Device Installation Restrictions) or endpoint security tools to block unauthorized USB hub devices - note this may disrupt legitimate peripherals and should be tested before deployment. Physical security controls (port blockers, locked chassis, visitor escort policies) directly reduce exploitability given the AV:P constraint. On Server Core installations with no legitimate USB hub use case, consider disabling the USB Hub Driver service (usbhub) entirely, acknowledging that this will prevent enumeration of downstream USB devices.

Affected VersionsENISA

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

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_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 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

The flaw resides in the Windows USB Hub Driver, a kernel-mode component (usbhub.sys) responsible for managing USB hub enumeration and device attachment. CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) in this context typically occurs during parsing of USB device descriptors or hub-specific control transfers: a specially crafted USB device can supply malformed descriptor data that causes the driver to read beyond the bounds of an allocated kernel buffer. Because the driver operates at kernel privilege level, out-of-bounds reads can expose sensitive kernel memory, provide data primitives for further exploitation, or corrupt adjacent allocations in ways that enable privilege escalation from an unprivileged context to SYSTEM. Affected products span Windows 10 (from build 10.0.14393 / version 1607 through 22H2), Windows 11 (23H2 through 26H1), and Windows Server 2016 through 2025, all prior to their respective patch build thresholds per EUVD-2026-73755.

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

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 USB insertion is the sole access method (AV:P); no credentials or interaction needed; kernel EoP yields full C/I/A compromise.

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 nvd
MEDIUM 6.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Out-of-bounds read in Windows USB Hub Driver allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 76% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Windows USB Hub Driver present in all modern Windows installations
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
CVE-2021-40444 HIGH POC
8.8 Sep 15

Windows MSHTML component contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to craft malicious ActiveX

CVE-2021-34527 HIGH POC
8.8 Jul 02

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged fi

CVE-2022-30190 HIGH POC
7.8 Jun 01

Windows MSDT (Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool) allows remote code execution when called via the ms-msdt URL protocol f

CVE-2017-0147 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 17

The SMBv1 server in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows

CVE-2018-8174 HIGH POC
7.5 May 09

The Windows VBScript engine contains a remote code execution vulnerability in object handling that allows full system co

CVE-2021-1675 HIGH POC
7.8 Jun 08

Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no auth

CVE-2016-7255 HIGH POC
7.8 Nov 10

The Win32k kernel-mode driver in Windows Vista through Windows Server 2016 allows local privilege escalation, exploited

CVE-2023-36884 HIGH POC
7.5 Jul 11

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo

CVE-2023-44487 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 10

Denial of service against HTTP/2 server implementations allows remote unauthenticated attackers to exhaust server resour

CVE-2024-30088 HIGH POC
7.0 Jun 11

Windows Kernel contains a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability allowing local privilege escalation, exploited by the OilR

CVE-2019-1458 HIGH POC
7.8 Dec 10

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in

CVE-2018-8453 HIGH POC
7.8 Oct 10

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy