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Windows DHCP Server EUVDEUVD-2026-99432

| CVE-2026-85841 MEDIUM
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-pcfq-v2xc-3h6j
6.6
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain authorized network foothold
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted DHCP protocol messages
  3. Exploit
    Trigger use-after-free in DHCP service
  4. Execution
    Groom heap and win race
  5. Impact
    Execute code as DHCP service

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 a running Windows DHCP Server role (not present on default/non-DHCP Windows installations) and an attacker who already possesses high privileges (PR:H) with network reach to the DHCP service; it does not require user interaction (UI:N). Key limiting factors: the high attack complexity (AC:H) means success depends on winning a use-after-free memory race or meeting specific timing/heap conditions that are not reliably reproducible, and the PR:H requirement means an unprivileged or fully external unauthenticated attacker cannot exploit it directly. Applying the vendor patch (builds such as Server 2025 <10.0.26100.33650, Server 2022 <10.0.20348.5761, Server 2019 <10.0.17763.9376, Server 2016/Win10 1607 <10.0.14393.9612) removes the condition.

Impact

This is a moderate-priority vulnerability that CVSS (6.6, Medium) and the SSVC framework agree is NOT a widespread-exploitation emergency, despite affecting a core Microsoft network service. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) shows that while the attack is network-reachable, it requires high privileges (PR:H - an already-authorized attacker) AND high attack complexity (AC:H - the use-after-free likely demands winning a race or satisfying specific memory-timing conditions), which substantially raises the bar. The technical impact is total (full C/I/A compromise of the DHCP server) if exploitation succeeds. CISA SSVC reinforces a lower urgency: Exploitation=none (no observed exploitation), Automatable=no (consistent with AC:H and PR:H - this cannot be sprayed at scale), and Technical Impact=total. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public POC, and EPSS was not provided in the input (missing data - exploitation probability cannot be quantified here). The signals are internally consistent: a high-impact but hard-to-exploit, privilege-gated flaw. The one point worth verifying is the privilege requirement - 'authorized attacker' plus PR:H implies the attacker must already hold meaningful rights on or against the DHCP service, so this is more plausibly a lateral-movement/post-compromise or malicious-insider scenario than an internet-facing unauthenticated RCE.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already holds authorized/privileged access on the network sends crafted DHCP protocol traffic to a vulnerable Windows DHCP Server, manipulating object lifetime to trigger a use-after-free in the service. By winning the required memory race (AC:H) they reclaim the freed allocation with controlled data and achieve code execution in the DHCP service context. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.6% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026

A use-after-free memory corruption flaw in the Microsoft Windows DHCP Server service lets an attacker who already holds high privileges, and who can reach the DHCP service over the network, execute arbitrary code on the server. Only hosts actually running the DHCP Server role (Windows Server 2012 through 2025, plus Windows 10 1607/1809 builds where the role is enabled) are exposed; default non-DHCP installations are not. Exploitation is constrained by high attack complexity (AC:H) and the PR:H requirement, and no public exploit code or confirmed in-the-wild activity has been identified at time of analysis, with CISA's SSVC decision framework rating exploitation as 'none' and automation as 'no' - though the technical impact is assessed as total once the memory race is won. Vendor patches are available, so remediation is straightforward for administrators who can schedule a reboot.

RemediationAI

Install the Microsoft security update for your Windows build: Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33650 or later, Windows Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761 or later, Windows Server 2019 / Windows 10 1809 to 10.0.17763.9376 or later, Windows Server 2016 / Windows 10 1607 to 10.0.14393.9612 or later, and Windows Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23470 or Windows Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26434, per the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85841 - this is a memory-corruption fix in a SYSTEM service and requires a reboot of the DHCP host, so plan the restart window. If immediate patching is not possible, the most effective compensating control is to stop or uninstall the DHCP Server role on any host that does not genuinely need to serve leases (removing the attack surface entirely, at the cost of losing DHCP service); where the role is required, restrict network reachability to the DHCP listener by placing the server behind segmented VLANs/firewall rules and blocking DHCP traffic from untrusted or client-facing segments, accepting that legitimate relay agents and PXE/boot clients must be explicitly allow-listed. Because exploitation requires high privileges (PR:H), tightening who holds local admin or DHCP Administrators rights and auditing privileged accounts on DHCP servers meaningfully reduces exposure, and this costs only administrative overhead. Note that disabling or firewalling the service breaks IP address assignment for dependent subnets, and that these measures are containment, not a substitute for the vendor patch. No public exploit code has been identified, so there is no need for emergency out-of-band action, but the update should be tracked to completion in the normal monthly cycle.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows 10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200.0 <6.2.9200.26434
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0 <6.3.9600.23470
Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9612
Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1607 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_server_2012 fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2012_r2 fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_r2_server_core_installation fix: 6.3.9600.23470
euvd windows_server_2012_server_core_installation fix: 6.2.9200.26434
euvd windows_server_2016 fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_server_2016_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.14393.9612
euvd windows_server_2019 fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_server_2019_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5761
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.33650
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.33650

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

The defect is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows DHCP Server service, the component that leases IPv4/IPv6 addresses and serves BOOTP/DHCP option data to clients on a broadcast domain. A use-after-free occurs when a heap object is released but a stale pointer to it is subsequently dereferenced; in a network-facing service such as this, the freed allocation is typically a request/lease structure, and an attacker who can influence allocation and free ordering can shape the heap so that the dangling reference lands on attacker-controlled data, redirecting execution. Because the vulnerable code sits behind the DHCP service's network listener, the attack vector is AV:N, but the CVSS vector (AC:H, PR:H) makes clear that success depends on the attacker already possessing privileged credentials and on winning a timing/heap-condition race that is not reliably reproducible. CPE and EUVD version data point to the Windows Server product family - Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 in both full and Server Core installations, plus Windows 10 Version 1607 and 1809 - confirming this is a shared codebase issue across the long-lived Windows servicing branches rather than a single SKU. SSVC's 'Technical Impact: total' reflects that a successful use-after-free in a SYSTEM-level service is a full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, which is why the 6.6 numeric score understates the consequence relative to the prerequisite chain.

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 6.6 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.6 MEDIUM

Network-reachable DHCP service (AV:N) but a use-after-free race (AC:H) exploitable only by an already-authorized, privileged actor (PR:H); successful RCE yields total service compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:21 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.6

DescriptionCVE.org

Use after free in Windows DHCP Server allows an authorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.6%
Top 50% exploitable
Prevalence
High
DHCP Server is a common role across Windows Server enterprise deployments
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
4 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 0.6%
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +33
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

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