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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DeliveryExecute crafted program invoking Win32 kernel path
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free on freed kernel object
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ExecutionReclaim dangling reference to corrupt kernel memory
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ImpactGain SYSTEM-level privileges
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 | Requires the attacker to already have authenticated local code-execution ability on the target host as a low-privileged user (PR:L, AV:L) - this is a post-foothold escalation, not remotely reachable. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and the flaw reportedly affects default installations of the listed Windows 11 builds (23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, 26H2) and Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core) at kernel level, so no special feature toggle is documented as a prerequisite. The primary limiting factor is the local-access and prior-privilege requirement; successful exploitation also depends on winning the use-after-free race/object-reuse condition in the Win32 kernel subsystem. |
| Impact | This is a credible but not emergency-tier priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U, 7.8 High) is internally consistent for a kernel use-after-free: it requires local access and existing low-level privileges (PR:L - an 'authorized attacker' per the description), with no user interaction, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the same security scope (S:U), which is the expected profile for a successful privilege-escalation primitive. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC are present in the provided data, so there is no evidence of active exploitation or widespread automated attack at time of analysis - this is a real but targeted/post-compromise concern rather than a perimeter-breaking issue. The key limiting signal is that exploitation is local and requires pre-existing authenticated access, so it is most relevant as a second-stage escalation after an attacker already has a foothold. Note a metadata inconsistency: the description and impact profile describe local privilege elevation, yet the input Tags include 'Denial Of Service' - the A:H component could be read as DoS, but the primary documented impact is EoP, so treat the DoS tag with caution. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has low-privileged code execution on a Windows host (for example via phishing, a malicious installer, or a compromised standard user account) runs a crafted program that triggers the use-after-free in the Win32 kernel subsystem to corrupt kernel memory. By grooming the freed object and reusing the dangling reference, they gain SYSTEM-level privileges, escalating from a limited user to full control of the machine. No public exploit code is identified in the provided data, so this scenario assumes attacker-developed tooling. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows Win32 kernel subsystem lets an attacker who already holds low-privileged code execution on a host escalate to full kernel-level (SYSTEM) privileges on unpatched Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1 and 26H2 builds and on Windows Server 2025, including Server Core installs. The underlying defect is a use-after-free (CWE-416) rated CVSS 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) - the access vector is strictly local and the attacker must already be an authenticated user on the machine, so this is a post-foothold escalation rather than a remotely reachable bug, and no user interaction is needed. At time of analysis there is no public exploit code and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and Microsoft has published vendor patches; exploitation would require reliably winning the object-reuse condition in kernel memory, and a failed attempt is likely to crash the host rather than succeed silently.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor fix: patch status is "Patch available per vendor advisory," with remediation tracked through the Microsoft Security Response Center update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85804. In practice this means bringing each affected branch up to the fixed servicing level identified in the advisory's affected-version data - for example builds at or above 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.9711 for 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for 25H2, 10.0.28000.3231 for 26H1, 10.0.26300.9711 for 26H2, and 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core) - deployed through Windows Update, WSUS/Configuration Manager or the Microsoft Update Catalog, followed by a reboot so the revised kernel is loaded. No vendor workaround is documented; because exploitation requires the attacker to already be running code as a low-privileged local user, the effective compensating controls are those that shrink that foothold and contain its consequences. Restrict and audit which accounts are permitted interactive or batch logon on sensitive servers and workstations, and enforce least privilege so few principals satisfy the PR:L precondition; the trade-off is reduced operational flexibility for administrative staff. Enable virtualization-based security with HVCI and Credential Guard to constrain an attacker's ability to convert a kernel memory primitive into usable credentials or unsigned kernel code, accepting that HVCI can block incompatible third-party or unsigned drivers and must be pilot-tested. Apply WDAC or AppLocker allow-listing and block execution of untrusted binaries from user-writable paths to reduce the local code-execution vectors that lead to the PR:L prerequisite, at the cost of ongoing policy maintenance. Monitor EDR telemetry for kernel-object reuse anomalies, unexpected token modifications and surprise bugchecks, since successful exploitation may be silent while failed attempts surface as crashes; detection is a backstop, not a substitute for the patch.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 7 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 vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows Win32 kernel subsystem, the kernel-mode layer that services Win32 API calls and manages associated kernel objects on behalf of user-mode callers. In this bug class, an object referenced by a kernel structure is freed while a stale pointer or reference to it is still reachable; the attacker then arranges for the freed memory to be reallocated with attacker-influenced content, so subsequent dereferences operate on a corrupted object. Within Windows kernel exploitation this typically yields a controlled write or type-confusion primitive inside kernel address space, which can be used to modify process tokens, patch kernel structures or disable mitigations, converting a limited user context (PR:L) into kernel/SYSTEM execution (C:H/I:H/A:H). The CVSS vector shows AC:L and UI:N, meaning Microsoft assesses the reuse condition as reliably reachable without grooming a difficult race and without tricking a victim user. The accompanying tags for memory corruption and denial of service are consistent with this object-lifetime class: the same primitive that enables elevation frequently manifests as a bugcheck (BSOD) when the object reuse is not controlled, which is why the classification spans both elevation of privilege and DoS. The affected CPE space covers the Windows 11 servicing branches 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1 and 26H2 and Windows Server 2025 in both full and Server Core installation options, i.e. default kernel deployments rather than an optional feature, so no component toggle is documented as a precondition.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local kernel UAF needing a pre-existing low-privileged account gives AV:L/PR:L/AC:L with no UI; successful escalation to SYSTEM yields full C/I/A within unchanged scope.
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 privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows Win32 kernel subsystem affects unpatched Windows 11 (23H2 through 26H2) and Windows Server 2025, including Server Core deployments, allowing an attacker who has already gained a foothold on a machine to elevate to full SYSTEM-level control. For the organization this means any single compromised endpoint, laptop, or server session could be converted into complete host takeover, enabling credential theft, lateral movement, and disabling of security controls. Microsoft has released patches, and no public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified, so the exposure is a manageable patching-and-hardening problem rather than an emergency breach scenario.
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
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EUVD-2026-99515
GHSA-x8w7-p4pj-rvm5
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB