Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local foothold
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DeliveryRun crafted exploit binary
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ExploitPass untrusted pointer to COM+ Event System Service
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ExecutionService dereferences attacker-controlled memory
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PersistExecute code as SYSTEM
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ImpactFull host compromise
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Untrusted pointer prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already have local, interactive access to the host with valid low-privileged (non-admin) credentials, matching CVSS AV:L and PR:L - this is a post-compromise escalation primitive, not a remote entry point. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L), so once a standard-user foothold exists, triggering the untrusted pointer dereference in the COM+ Event System Service requires no special non-default configuration. The principal limiting factors are therefore the mandatory pre-existing local authenticated access and the absence of any remote vector; defenders relying on strong initial-access controls and least-privilege user accounts materially reduce realistic risk. Affected systems are unpatched Windows builds below the fixed versions listed in the EUVD data (e.g., Windows 11 24H2 below 10.0.26100.9711, Windows Server 2025 below 10.0.26100.33650, Server 2016 below 10.0.14393.9612). |
| Impact | This is a credible but moderate-priority local privilege escalation. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) confirms the attacker must already have local access and valid (low-privilege) credentials on the host - this is not a remotely exploitable flaw, which caps its urgency relative to network-facing bugs of the same 7.8 score. The signals are internally consistent and point AWAY from imminent mass exploitation: CISA SSVC lists Exploitation as 'none' and Automatable as 'no', there is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit code identified, so the status is reconnaissance/weaponization-free at this time. The one signal pulling the other way is SSVC Technical Impact 'total', matching the CVSS C:H/I:H/A:H full-SYSTEM compromise outcome - meaning that IF an attacker does chain this (e.g., after a phishing foothold), the payoff is complete control of the affected host. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood could not be weighed. Net: a legitimate patch-in-normal-cycle item for defenders, valuable as a post-compromise escalation primitive but not a drop-everything emergency, given low complexity but the hard requirement of pre-existing local authenticated access. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained a foothold as a standard (low-privilege) user - for example via phishing or a separate initial-access bug - runs a crafted local program that supplies an untrusted pointer to the COM+ Event System Service, causing it to dereference attacker-controlled memory and execute code in the service's privileged context. This yields full SYSTEM-level control of the machine. No public proof-of-concept or exploit code was identified in the provided data, and CVSS AC:L indicates the technical exploitation itself is low-complexity once local access exists. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows is possible because the COM+ Event System Service dereferences an untrusted pointer (CWE-822), allowing an authenticated attacker who already holds a low-privileged foothold on the host to elevate to SYSTEM. Affected systems are unpatched Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server builds listed below the fixed build numbers (for example, Windows 11 24H2 below 10.0.26100.9711 and Windows Server 2025 below 10.0.26100.33650), with a CVSS base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and total technical impact per the CISA SSVC assessment. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, and no EPSS score was supplied; the practical risk is bounded by the requirement for pre-existing interactive local access rather than any remote vector.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Microsoft has published fixes for this issue and they should be applied on the monthly update cadence - bring each host to or above its fixed build, for example Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9711, Windows 11 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7652, Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33650, Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761, Windows Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9376, Windows Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9612, and the legacy Server 2012/2012 R2 platforms to 6.2.9200.26434 and 6.3.9600.23470 respectively, using the guidance at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-83848 as the authoritative per-build mapping. Because exploitation requires an existing low-privileged interactive session, the most effective compensating controls are identity- and access-focused: remove or disable unnecessary local accounts, restrict the 'Allow log on locally' and Remote Desktop Users rights to the smallest possible set, place administrative staff in Protected Users, and enforce a tiered administration model so commodity user credentials cannot be used interactively on high-value servers - the trade-off is reduced operational flexibility for help-desk and shared-workstation workflows. Do not disable the COM+ Event System service as a mitigation: it is a dependency for COM+ event subscriptions and numerous enterprise applications, and shutting it down or setting it to Disabled will break those consumers while leaving other escalation paths in the same service family untouched. Network-level containment (blocking inbound RDP/SMB from untrusted segments on servers) limits how quickly an attacker can obtain the required local foothold but does nothing against an attacker who already has one, so treat it as a speed bump rather than a fix. Where patching must be staged, monitor for anomalous process creation or token manipulation originating from the EventSystem service and for unexpected writes to privileged COM registry keys, since those give the best detection coverage for this class of untrusted-pointer abuse.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability class is CWE-822, untrusted pointer dereference, a memory-safety flaw in which the component follows a pointer value it has not validated for provenance or bounds. The affected component is the Windows COM+ Event System Service (EventSystem), the broker that manages COM+ event subscriptions and dispatches event notifications to subscriber components; it runs as a privileged system service, so memory corruption reachable through its interfaces executes in a high-integrity context. A low-privileged local user who can invoke or marshal data into the affected COM interface can supply a crafted pointer that the service dereferences without validation, producing a controlled memory-write or read primitive and, in the worst case, arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM. This matches the supplied CVSS vector AV:L/PR:L/UI:N with confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated High, and the SSVC technical-impact rating of 'total'. Because the vector requires local access with valid low-privilege credentials and no user interaction, the flaw is a post-compromise escalation primitive rather than an initial-access path, and the SSVC exploitation signal is 'none' with automatable 'no', indicating no observed or automated exploitation activity in the source data. Note that the accompanying tag set includes 'Information Disclosure', but the assessed and published impact is full privilege elevation with high C/I/A, not disclosure alone. No CPE strings were supplied beyond the EUVD build ranges, which cover Windows 10 1607/1809/21H2/22H2, Windows 11 23H2/24H2/25H2/26H1/26H2, and Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 including Server Core installations.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local vector and low-privilege foothold required (AV:L, PR:L), low complexity with no user interaction, yielding full SYSTEM compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H) within an unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Untrusted pointer dereference in Windows COM+ Event System Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server are affected by a local privilege-escalation issue that can let an authenticated local user gain SYSTEM-level control of a host. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and successful exploitation requires an existing low-privileged foothold on the target machine, but it could still lead to full host compromise, data exposure, tampering, or lateral movement. Leadership should care because Windows is widely deployed, and unpatched endpoints or servers could undermine security controls and business operations if an attacker obtains local access.
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-2026-99386
GHSA-98f8-hvwm-fj48
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB