Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged code execution on host
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DeliveryInvoke vulnerable Win32 kernel path
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ExploitWin race to trigger use-after-free
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ExecutionReclaim freed kernel object
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PersistCorrupt kernel memory for SYSTEM token
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ImpactFull local privilege escalation
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation 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 attacker to already have local, interactive or programmatic code-execution ability on the target Windows system at a low privilege level (PR:L) - this is strictly a post-access local privilege-escalation primitive, not a remote entry point (AV:L). No user interaction is needed (UI:N). The primary limiting factor is the high attack complexity (AC:H): the use-after-free (CWE-416) must be triggered by winning a memory-reclamation race in the Win32 kernel subsystem, which demands precise timing and is not reliably repeatable, reducing practical exploitation. Applies to default configurations of the affected Windows client and server builds below the patched versions listed in the EUVD data (e.g., Windows 11 24H2 below 10.0.26100.9711, Server 2022 below 10.0.20348.5761); no special feature or non-default setting is required beyond having a local account. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but second-tier priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U) scores 7.0 (High) and the signals are internally consistent for a local privilege-escalation bug: exploitation requires local access (AV:L), already-held low privileges (PR:L), and the high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the race-condition/timing nature typical of a kernel use-after-free (CWE-416). Impact is total on the vulnerable system (C:H/I:H/A:H, scope unchanged), which matches the SSVC 'Technical Impact: total' rating. Critically, the exploitation-risk signals point AWAY from urgency: CISA SSVC lists Exploitation 'none' and Automatable 'no', there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC was provided - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. No EPSS score was supplied in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified. The AC:H and local-only vector further reduce real-world mass-exploitation potential; this is the kind of flaw weaponized as a post-compromise local EoP link in a chain (e.g., after phishing or browser RCE) rather than an internet-facing emergency. Note one metadata tension: the Tags include 'Denial Of Service', but the description and CWE-416 describe privilege elevation, not availability loss - the DoS tag appears to be a generic memory-corruption label rather than the primary impact. Patch-now-on-normal-cycle is the appropriate posture. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host (via phishing payload, a compromised standard user account, or a browser/sandbox escape) runs a crafted program that triggers the use-after-free in the Win32 kernel subsystem, winning a timing race to reclaim the freed object and corrupt kernel memory. Successful exploitation elevates the process to SYSTEM, giving full control of the machine. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) means reliable exploitation requires precise race-condition timing. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Win32 kernel subsystem allows an authenticated attacker who already holds low-privilege code execution on a host to gain SYSTEM-level privileges by triggering a use-after-free (CWE-416) during kernel object reclamation. The weakness is strictly local (AV:L) and high-complexity (AC:H) because the attacker must win a memory-reclamation race, making it a post-access escalation primitive rather than a remote entry point; no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis (CISA SSVC records Exploitation: none). Every supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server build below the fixed revision listed by the vendor is affected, and Microsoft has released patches.
RemediationAI
Primary remediation is to apply the Microsoft security update referenced by MSRC advisory https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70249 (NVD mirror: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-70249); vendor-released patch is available per vendor advisory, with fixed revisions of 10.0.14393.9612 for Windows 10 1607, Server 2016 and Server 2016 Server Core, 10.0.17763.9376 for Windows 10 1809, Server 2019 and Server 2019 Server Core, 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2/22H2, 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.9711 for Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for Windows 11 25H2, 10.0.28000.3231 for Windows 11 26H1, 10.0.26300.9711 for Windows 11 26H2, 10.0.20348.5761 for Windows Server 2022, and 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025 including Server Core; prioritize internet-facing and multi-user hosts where any local account is a potential escalation path. Because this is a local, post-access privilege-escalation primitive rather than a remote vector, compensating controls are about shrinking the local attack surface while patching rolls out: reduce the number of interactive local accounts and remove or disable unused ones (trade-off: administrative overhead and possible disruption to shared-workstation workflows), enforce application allowlisting with WDAC or AppLocker so untrusted binaries cannot execute the race-triggering code path (trade-off: allowlist tuning effort and risk of blocking legitimate line-of-business software), and enable kernel-focused exploit mitigations such as Windows Defender Exploit Guard's kernel pool hardening plus Arbitrary Code Guard and Control Flow Guard on high-value endpoints (trade-off: occasional application compatibility regressions). Restricting interactive logon rights to a minimal set of users and monitoring for anomalous token or process-creation behavior around win32k activity provide detection pressure but do not eliminate an already-present local attacker's ability to attempt the race; none of these controls is a substitute for the vendor patch.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 16 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 is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Win32 kernel subsystem, the kernel-mode component (win32k/win32kbase style surface) that manages windowing, GDI and USER objects on behalf of user-mode processes. A use-after-free arises when a kernel object is freed while a stale pointer or handle reference to it remains reachable; a local attacker who can influence object lifetime can race the allocator so that the freed memory is reallocated under their control, yielding a corrupted or attacker-influenced kernel structure. Because Win32 kernel objects are shared across sessions and tied to token and process-management data, successful corruption typically converts into kernel memory write primitives and ultimately token theft or arbitrary kernel code execution, which is why the assessed vector rates Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability all High (C:H/I:H/A:H) while scope remains Unchanged (S:U). The assessed vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N places exploitation firmly behind an existing foothold: PR:L means the attacker is authenticated with only low privilege, and AC:H reflects the precise timing required to win the reclamation race, which limits reliability and repeatability. The EUVD record confirms the affected surface spans both client and server editions of Windows, all sharing the same Win32 kernel code path, so the same primitive applies to Windows 10, Windows 11 (including the newer 25H2/26H1/26H2 channels) and Windows Server 2016 through 2025.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only kernel UAF needs an existing low-priv account (AV:L/PR:L) and a timing race to trigger (AC:H); successful SYSTEM elevation gives total host impact (C:H/I:H/A:H), scope unchanged.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Win32 Kernel Subsystem allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity weakness in the Windows Win32 kernel subsystem allows someone who already has a limited foothold on a machine to escalate to full SYSTEM control, converting a contained intrusion into total control of that host. It cannot be used to break in remotely and requires winning a difficult timing race, so it is an escalation step rather than an entry point, and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. Every Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server build below Microsoft's fixed revision is affected and patches are available, meaning the exposure is manageable but grows with every unpatched endpoint.
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
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
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EUVD-2026-99201
GHSA-hhpq-9qv7-vggj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB