Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local access
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DeliveryLaunch crafted program targeting PCI Bus Driver
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ExploitTrigger heap-based buffer overflow in kernel
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ExecutionCorrupt heap and hijack kernel control flow
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ImpactExecute code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution 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 possess local, authenticated low-privileged access to the target Windows host (CVSS AV:L, PR:L) and the ability to execute code that interacts with the kernel-mode PCI Bus Driver (pci.sys), which is loaded by default on all Windows systems - so no non-default configuration or special feature toggle is needed. No user interaction is required (UI:N). The principal limiting factors are the need for a pre-existing local foothold and valid (even unprivileged) credentials or session; the flaw is not remotely reachable over the network and, per CISA SSVC, is not automatable, which constrains it to targeted post-compromise privilege escalation. Affected builds span Windows 10 (1809/21H2/22H2), Windows 11 (23H2/24H2/25H2/26H1/26H2), and Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 below the fixed build numbers listed in the EUVD record. |
| Impact | This is a credible, patch-now local privilege escalation rather than a hype-driven high-CVSS finding, but it is not a drop-everything emergency. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects local attack vector (AV:L), low complexity (AC:L), low privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and total CIA impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) with unchanged scope. CISA's SSVC decision points align with this nuance: Exploitation is rated 'none' (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable is 'no' (consistent with a local EoP that an attacker must chain after already obtaining code execution), yet Technical Impact is 'total' (full SYSTEM-level compromise of the affected host). The vulnerability is NOT in CISA KEV, and no POC is referenced, so there is no evidence of active exploitation - the correct posture is standard patch-cycle prioritization elevated by the fact that this is a kernel-mode driver flaw yielding total impact. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood could not be weighed. The signals are internally consistent (local vector + authenticated + not-automatable all point to a post-compromise EoP), so there is no conflicting data to flag, only the missing EPSS value. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host - for example via phishing, a malicious installer, or a compromised standard user account - runs a crafted program that sends malformed data to the PCI Bus Driver, triggering a heap-based buffer overflow in kernel memory to overwrite control structures and execute code as SYSTEM. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and because the attack requires local access and is rated not-automatable by SSVC, it would be used as a deliberate privilege-escalation step within a broader intrusion rather than for mass exploitation. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows PCI Bus Driver (pci.sys) lets an attacker who already holds low-privileged local access on a Windows host trigger a heap-based buffer overflow in kernel mode, corrupting pooled kernel memory and achieving high-integrity (SYSTEM) code execution. Affected systems are Windows 10 (1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, 26H2) and Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025 builds below the fixed build numbers published by Microsoft; the CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H for a score of 7.8, meaning the attacker must already possess local, authenticated low-privileged access and no user interaction is required. CISA's SSVC assessment records exploitation as 'none' and high technical impact, but rates the flaw non-automatable and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis - this is a post-compromise privilege-escalation primitive that matters most on multi-user, RDP, VDI and shared-host deployments rather than a remotely reachable mass-exploitation risk.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Microsoft has published updates for this CVE through the MSRC Security Update Guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85915); apply the current cumulative update so each affected system reaches or exceeds the fixed build listed in EUVD-2026-99576 - 10.0.17763.9376 for Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019 (including Server Core), 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2, 10.0.20348.5761 for Windows Server 2022, 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.33650 / 10.0.26100.9711 for Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for Windows 11 25H2, 10.0.28000.3231 for Windows 11 26H1, and 10.0.26300.9711 for Windows 11 26H2. Patching is the only real fix here: pci.sys is a boot-critical kernel driver loaded on every Windows system, so there is no supported way to unload it, rename it, or block the local device I/O path it exposes, and disabling it would render the machine unbootable - do not attempt driver-level blocking as a workaround. Compensating controls should therefore be access- and detection-oriented until the update is deployed: reduce the number of principals who can obtain an interactive local session on high-value hosts (restrict RDP/console access, avoid shared local-admin or multi-session VDI configurations for untrusted users) so the required PR:L foothold is harder to establish - at the cost of operational flexibility for administrators and developers; enforce least privilege and remove standing local administrator rights so that a successful kernel exploit is the only route to SYSTEM rather than a redundant one, which adds helpdesk overhead; and monitor for unexpected kernel crashes, bugchecks or pool-corruption events in pci.sys alongside anomalous child processes spawning from low-privileged parents, accepting that such telemetry is detuned and noisy rather than a prevention control. Because the exploitation signal is 'none' per SSVC and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, patch within a normal monthly cycle, prioritizing internet-exposed, multi-user, RDP-exposed and shared VDI/RDS hosts where low-privileged local access is common.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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 affected component is the kernel-mode PCI Bus Driver shipped with Windows (pci.sys), the driver that enumerates the PCI bus, parses PCI configuration space and services I/O requests routed to PCI devices; it is loaded by default on all Windows installations with no feature toggle or optional role required. The root cause is CWE-122, a heap-based buffer overflow, meaning a copy into a heap-allocated (pool) buffer occurs without adequate bounds validation, so an oversized or malformed input overwrites adjacent pool data. Because the overflow occurs inside a kernel driver, a successful primitivetranslates directly into kernel memory corruption, which the assessment rates as total technical impact (C:H/I:H/A:H, scope unchanged) - typically exploitable for local privilege escalation to SYSTEM or, in the worst case, kernel-mode code execution. What makes this reachable is the trust boundary: the driver exposes device I/O interfaces that any locally logged-on user can reach through standard Win32 device APIs, so the input that drives the overflow does not require administrator rights to submit - hence PR:L with AV:L and no UI. The attack is not network-facing, and CISA's SSVC marks it non-automatable, which is consistent with the requirement for a tailored, locally delivered request rather than a self-propagating or worm-like exploit.
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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 driver reachable by any authenticated low-privileged user without interaction (AV:L/PR:L/UI:N); heap overflow yields SYSTEM code execution, so C/I/A all High and scope Unchanged.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows PCI Bus Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity flaw in the Windows PCI Bus Driver (pci.sys) allows a user who already has low-privileged local access to a Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 host to escalate to full SYSTEM-level control of the machine. Because the required starting access is routine for standard users, this risk concentrates in multi-user, RDP, VDI, and shared-host environments where any single compromised account can become a full host takeover. Leadership should treat this as a post-compromise escalation risk that elevates the blast radius of otherwise contained endpoint incidents and warrants prioritized patching.
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.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
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EUVD-2026-99576
GHSA-p7q9-gc2w-rf87
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB