Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate as low-privileged local user
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ExploitTrigger double free in TCP/IP via race window
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ImpactCorrupt kernel pool and execute code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Double free prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an attacker to already have local, authenticated access to the host as at least a low-privileged user (AV:L, PR:L); it cannot be triggered remotely or anonymously. The specific prerequisite is the ability to drive the Windows TCP/IP component's vulnerable code path to produce a double free (CWE-415) and then win the memory-reclamation race - the high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects that reliable exploitation depends on precise timing and kernel-pool state, not a single deterministic request. No user interaction is needed (UI:N). Limiting factors for defenders: the authenticated-local foothold requirement and the race-condition reliability barrier substantially reduce real-world exploitability despite the total technical impact. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but moderate-priority elevation-of-privilege flaw, not an emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N) and the 7.0 HIGH base score describe a locally-exploitable bug that already requires an authenticated foothold and, critically, carries high attack complexity (AC:H) - consistent with a CWE-415 double free that typically depends on winning a memory-corruption race. Multiple signals agree that this is NOT a mass-exploitation threat: SSVC reports Exploitation=none and Automatable=no, there is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The only elevated signal is SSVC Technical Impact=total, which aligns with the CVSS C:H/I:H/A:H impact (full SYSTEM compromise if exploited). No EPSS score was provided, so statistical exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified here. Net: a high-impact-but-hard-to-exploit local EoP that should be patched on a normal cadence rather than treated as an actively-exploited zero-day. One data conflict to note explicitly: the input Tags label this 'Information Disclosure,' but the description and the C:H/I:H/A:H vector describe local privilege elevation (double free), so the tag appears mislabeled - treat the description/vector as authoritative. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged but authenticated local user (or malware already running in a standard user context) repeatedly triggers the vulnerable Windows TCP/IP code path to force a double free, then grooms the kernel pool to reclaim the freed allocation and corrupt kernel memory. By winning the required timing race (reflected in AC:H), the attacker converts the double free into arbitrary kernel code execution and elevates to SYSTEM. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Privilege escalation in the Windows TCP/IP stack allows a locally authenticated, low-privileged user to trigger a kernel double free and, by winning the subsequent memory-reclamation race, gain code execution at higher (SYSTEM-level) integrity on unpatched Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server builds. Exploitation demands an existing local foothold with at least low privileges and precise timing to line up kernel pool state, which is reflected in the high attack complexity component of the CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H vector; it cannot be triggered remotely or anonymously. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and Microsoft has released vendor patches. With a CVSS base score of 7.0 and a CISA SSVC assessment of total technical impact but no exploitation and no automatable path, this is a genuine but moderate-priority elevation-of-privilege flaw rather than an emergency, and matters most where low-privileged local access is common (RDP hosts, VDI, multi-user terminal servers).
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Microsoft has published fixes; apply the current cumulative update for each affected SKU so the build meets or exceeds the minimum fixed build listed for it - Windows 11 26H1 10.0.28000.3231, 26H2 10.0.26300.9711, 25H2 10.0.26200.9711, 24H2 10.0.26100.9711, 23H2 10.0.22631.7652; Windows 10 22H2/21H2 10.0.19044.7807, 1809 10.0.17763.9376, 1607 10.0.14393.9612; Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core) 10.0.26100.33650, Server 2022 10.0.20348.5761, Server 2019 (including Server Core) 10.0.17763.9376, Server 2016 (including Server Core) 10.0.14393.9612. Deploy through Windows Update, WSUS, or your patch-management pipeline and follow the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-83842 for the definitive per-build guidance; reboot is required because tcpip.sys is a kernel driver. There is no configuration toggle that removes the vulnerable TCP/IP code path, so until patching completes the effective mitigations are environmental: reduce the number of accounts that can log on locally or via RDP to affected hosts (treat low-privileged interactive access as a privilege-escalation foothold), enforce least privilege and just-in-time admin so a local user cannot immediately convert SYSTEM execution into domain-wide impact, and isolate multi-user or RDP-exposed Windows hosts on segmented networks - noting that these controls only shrink the attack surface and do not remove the double free, and that they carry operational costs in usability and admin overhead. Monitoring for unexpected kernel-level process creation or anomalous SYSTEM-token activity on affected hosts is advisable given the total technical impact recorded in the SSVC assessment.
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 vulnerable component is the Windows TCP/IP networking stack, the kernel-mode driver traditionally shipped as tcpip.sys, which handles socket and packet processing for all Windows networking. The root-cause class is CWE-415 (Double Free): a code path reachable through TCP/IP operations frees the same kernel pool allocation twice, leaving a dangling reference that an attacker with local code execution can race to have reclaimed with attacker-influenced data. The high attack complexity (AC:H) in the assessed vector reflects that reliable exploitation depends on precise timing and control of kernel pool state rather than a single deterministic request, and the AV:L/PR:L/UI:N components confirm the prerequisite is local, at least low-privileged access with no user interaction - this is a classic local privilege-escalation primitive against a kernel component, not a remote or anonymous attack surface. CISA's SSVC decision data records Technical Impact as total and Automatable as no, consistent with a high-integrity-but-hard-to-reliably-trigger memory corruption issue; the associated advisory tags reference both Information Disclosure and Microsoft, and the CVE is tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2026-99380. Affected builds span the Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server kernel families (10.0.14393.x through 10.0.28000.x), meaning the same defective code path is shared across client and server SKUs rather than being limited to one product line.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local authenticated access needed (AV:L, PR:L), a double-free race drives AC:H, no UI required, and successful kernel compromise yields full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Double free in Windows TCP/IP allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows TCP/IP stack could allow an attacker who already has a low-privileged foothold on a machine to elevate to SYSTEM-level control on unpatched Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems. Because it requires local access and precisely timed exploitation, it is not a self-spreading or remotely triggerable threat, but any host where an attacker has landed is a candidate for full compromise. Leadership should treat this as a moderate-priority hardening item affecting endpoint and server fleets, with the greatest exposure in environments where low-privileged access is common, such as multi-user endpoints, VDI, and shared jump hosts.
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
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EUVD-2026-99380
GHSA-v3hm-67xh-vqw9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB