Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local session
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DeliverySend crafted input to EAPHost Service
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ExploitTrigger out-of-bounds write (CWE-787)
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ExecutionCorrupt memory to hijack execution
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ImpactElevate to SYSTEM privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
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 hold an authenticated low-privilege local session on the target Windows host (PR:L), and to be able to execute code locally that interacts with the EAPHost Service (the Extensible Authentication Protocol host service used for 802.1X / network authentication). No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L), but the strict AV:L constraint means it cannot be triggered remotely over the network - it is a post-foothold escalation. The primary limiting factors are the need for prior local access and valid (even if unprivileged) credentials; there is no indication a special non-default configuration is required, as EAPHost is a standard Windows component. |
| Impact | This is a credible, patch-now-class local privilege escalation but not a drop-everything emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) is internally consistent with the description: an already-authorized local user triggers an out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) in the Windows EAPHost Service to gain full C:H/I:H/A:H impact - effectively SYSTEM-level control. The CVSS vector and description agree (both indicate local, authenticated exploitation), so there is no signal conflict here. CISA's SSVC framework reinforces a measured priority: Exploitation=none (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable=no (consistent with a local EoP requiring an existing foothold, not mass-scannable), but Technical Impact=total (matching the C/I/A:H impact). No EPSS score was provided in the input, and there is no CISA KEV listing and no POC indicator - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Net: this is a legitimately serious memory-corruption EoP (total technical impact) that an attacker would chain AFTER initial access, but the absence of exploitation evidence and the non-automatable, local-only nature make it a high-priority patch rather than an actively-exploited crisis. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a low-privileged authenticated session on a Windows host (via phishing, stolen credentials, or a prior exploit) runs a crafted local program that sends malformed input to the EAPHost Service, triggering an out-of-bounds write that corrupts memory and elevates them to SYSTEM. No user interaction is required and attack complexity is low (AC:L), but exploitation is strictly local and requires an existing foothold. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows EAPHost Service (the Extensible Authentication Protocol host component) allows an attacker who already holds an authenticated, low-privilege local session to trigger an out-of-bounds write and elevate to SYSTEM. The flaw is rated CVSS 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), so exploitation is a post-foothold step requiring local code execution and valid credentials, not remote network access; no user interaction is needed and complexity is low. Microsoft has released fixes covering Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012 through 2025, and at time of analysis no public exploit code has been identified and CISA SSVC records exploitation as none, making this a credible patch-now item rather than an emergency.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released Microsoft security update for the applicable Windows build; per the EUVD version ranges, patched builds include Windows 10 1607/Server 2016 at 10.0.14393.9612, Windows 10 1809/Server 2019 at 10.0.17763.9376, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 at 10.0.19044.7807, Windows 11 23H2 at 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 at 10.0.26100.9711 and 10.0.26100.33650 respectively, Windows 11 25H2 at 10.0.26200.9711, Windows 11 26H1 at 10.0.28000.3231, Windows 11 26H2 at 10.0.26300.9711, Windows Server 2022 at 10.0.20348.5761, Windows Server 2012 at 6.2.9200.26434, and Windows Server 2012 R2 at 6.3.9600.23470; confirm the exact KB and ordering in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-84016 (mirrored at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-84016) before rollout. Because EAPHost is a standard component whose RPC surface cannot simply be turned off without breaking 802.1X wired/wireless authentication and EAP-based VPN (IKEv2) connectivity, the practical compensating controls are access-oriented rather than configuration-oriented until patching completes: enforce least privilege so that unprivileged interactive/RDP sessions are limited to users who genuinely need local logon (side effect: restricts legitimate local/remote interactive use), use WDAC/AppLocker to block untrusted local binaries that could call into the service (side effect: application compatibility and maintenance overhead), and monitor Windows event logs and crash dumps for EapHost/eapsvc faults or unexpected SYSTEM-level process lineage originating from low-privilege sessions (side effect: detection-only, no prevention). Disabling the service or blocking its RPC endpoint outright is not recommended as a workaround because it degrades network authentication for affected hosts. There is no vendor-released patch version beyond the builds above, and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, so prioritization should focus on hosts where low-privilege local or RDP access is broadly granted.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
EAPHost (the Extensible Authentication Protocol Host service, implemented in the Windows EapHost/eapsvc architecture) is the broker that loads and manages EAP method DLLs used for 802.1X wired/wireless authentication, VPN (IKEv2/PPTP with EAP), and Network Access Protection scenarios. Because it runs with high privileges and exposes an RPC/inter-process interface that local callers can reach, defects inside it are a classic local privilege-escalation surface. The root cause here is CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write): a memory copy in the service's parsing/handling path writes past the bounds of an allocated buffer, corrupting adjacent heap memory. Under the assessed vector the attacker must already be executing code in an authenticated low-privilege local context (PR:L) with no user interaction (UI:N) and low attack complexity (AC:L); the scope is unchanged (S:U) but confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all high (C:H/I:H/A:H) because successful corruption inside the service context yields SYSTEM-level code execution. CISA's SSVC evaluation records technical impact as total, while noting exploitation has not been observed and the issue is not rated automatable.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local privilege escalation by an authenticated user (AV:L, PR:L) with no user interaction (UI:N) and low complexity; memory corruption yields full SYSTEM control, so C/I/A all High.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Out-of-bounds write in Windows EAPHost Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows EAPHost Service lets an attacker who already has a low-privilege foothold on a Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2012-2025 host take full SYSTEM control of that machine. Because the attacker must already be on the endpoint, leadership should treat this as an insider and post-compromise risk amplifier rather than a perimeter threat: any single compromised user account or unpatched workstation can become a full administrative takeover. Unpatched fleets therefore raise the potential blast radius of an already-successful intrusion and should be remediated on a normal patch cycle.
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
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
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.
EUVD-2026-99453
GHSA-7hqq-5qcm-whvw
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB