Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate to network with low privileges
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ExploitSend malformed request to Windows DNS
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ExecutionTrigger out-of-bounds read in DNS service
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ImpactCrash service causing denial of service
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 | Exploitation requires the target to be running the Windows DNS Server role (affected builds span Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025 and Windows 10 Version 1607/1809), and the attacker must hold valid low-privilege authenticated access to reach the service over the network (PR:L) - it is NOT remote-unauthenticated. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L). The principal limiting factors are the authentication requirement and the impact ceiling: the flaw yields only a denial of service (A:H) with no code execution, data disclosure, or integrity loss, which bounds realistic worst-case impact to availability of DNS resolution. |
| Impact | All exploitation signals converge on a modest, non-urgent risk despite the network attack vector. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, base 6.5) shows the only impact is availability (A:H) - a denial of service - with no confidentiality or integrity loss, and it requires an authenticated low-privilege attacker (PR:L), not an anonymous one. CISA's SSVC framework reinforces this: Exploitation=none, Automatable=no, Technical Impact=partial, i.e. no observed exploitation and no mass-scan weaponization potential. This is not in CISA KEV and no public exploit code is identified. No EPSS probability was provided in the input, so quantitative exploitation likelihood cannot be stated. In short, this is a legitimately-rated medium issue, not a high-CVSS-but-overstated finding, but neither is it a patch-tonight emergency; the combination of authentication requirement, DoS-only impact, and 'none' exploitation status places it in routine patch-cycle territory. Note a metadata conflict: the input Tags list 'Information Disclosure', yet the CVSS vector sets C:N and the description states denial of service - there is no confidentiality impact, so that tag is inconsistent with the authoritative data. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged but authenticated attacker on the network sends a specially crafted request to a Windows DNS Server, triggering an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) in the DNS service. The malformed input causes the service to read beyond allocated memory and crash, interrupting name resolution for dependent clients. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
An out-of-bounds read in Windows DNS Server allows an authenticated, low-privileged attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) over the network. The flaw affects Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025 and Windows 10 Versions 1607 and 1809 when the DNS Server role is enabled; exploitation requires valid credentials (PR:L) but no user interaction. No public exploit code has been identified, and CISA SSVC rates exploitation as none, yielding a modest, non-urgent risk despite the network attack vector.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released patch from Microsoft. Specific fixed builds are 6.2.9200.26434 for Windows Server 2012, 6.3.9600.23470 for 2012 R2, 10.0.14393.9612 for 2016 and Windows 10 1607, 10.0.17763.9376 for 2019 and Windows 10 1809, 10.0.20348.5761 for 2022, and 10.0.26100.33650 for 2025. Refer to the MSRC advisory (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70166) for detailed guidance. Because exploitation requires valid low-privilege credentials, interim mitigations include restricting network access to DNS servers to trusted clients, enabling strong authentication, and monitoring for anomalous DNS query patterns that could trigger the out-of-bounds read. Disabling the DNS Server role on systems that do not require it eliminates exposure but may disrupt name resolution.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 13 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in the Windows DNS Server implementation. When processing certain DNS queries, the service reads beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer, leading to a crash or hang that denies DNS resolution. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms the attack is network-reachable, low-complexity, requires low privileges, and results solely in availability impact-there is no confidentiality or integrity loss, despite the 'Information Disclosure' tag. Affected builds include Windows Server 2012 (6.2.9200.x), 2012 R2 (6.3.9600.x), 2016 (10.0.14393.x), 2019 (10.0.17763.x), 2022 (10.0.20348.x), 2025 (10.0.26100.x), and Windows 10 1607/1809.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Network-reachable DNS service (AV:N) with low complexity, but requires authenticated low-privilege access (PR:L); out-of-bounds read yields only a service crash, so C:N/I:N/A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Out-of-bounds read in Windows DNS allows an authorized attacker to deny service over a network.
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
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EUVD-2026-99176
GHSA-cgj9-9xx5-69p6
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
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Exploit-DB