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OpenSSH for Windows EUVDEUVD-2026-99587

| CVE-2026-88157 HIGH
Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-fgcr-pfrh-mf25
8.8
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
    Stand up malicious SSH endpoint
  2. Delivery
    Lure victim to connect via OpenSSH client
  3. Exploit
    Send crafted SSH protocol response
  4. Execution
    Trigger heap buffer overflow
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code as user

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 OpenSSH for Windows component to be present and in use, and the CVSS UI:R metric means a victim must actively initiate the vulnerable operation - consistent with a client-side vector where a Windows user connects their OpenSSH client to an attacker-controlled or compromised SSH server. The attacker needs no prior authentication (PR:N) and the path is network-reachable (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L), but the required user interaction and the need for the victim to connect to attacker-influenced infrastructure are the key limiting factors that reduce real-world exploitability; this also aligns with SSVC Automatable: no. The exact triggering feature is not specified in the terse description - confirm server-side versus client-side scope against the Microsoft MSRC advisory. Patched builds are enumerated per Windows version (e.g., Windows Server 2025 fixed in 10.0.26100.33650, Windows 11 24H2 in 10.0.26100.9711).

Impact

CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.8 (High) with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R, indicating a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated flaw that nonetheless requires user interaction, yielding total impact (C:H/I:H/A:H). These signals partly conflict with CISA's SSVC assessment, which rates Exploitation as 'none' (no observed or public exploitation) and Automatable as 'no' - the latter is consistent with the UI:R requirement, since an attacker cannot mass-automate exploitation if a victim must actively initiate a connection or action. SSVC Technical Impact of 'total' aligns with the CVSS C/I/A:H rating. No EPSS score was provided in the input, and there is no CISA KEV listing and no public proof-of-concept referenced, so this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The combination of high technical impact but non-automatable, user-interaction-gated exploitation and no observed exploitation suggests this is a genuinely serious-but-not-yet-urgent patch-priority issue rather than a drop-everything emergency: the total-impact RCE warrants prompt patching, but the UI:R gate and SSVC 'Exploitation: none' temper real-world urgency. Note the PR:N/UI:R pattern combined with 'OpenSSH for Windows' strongly implies a client-side vector (victim connects to a malicious SSH endpoint) rather than a server-side pre-auth overflow - this should be verified against the Microsoft advisory, as it materially changes who is at risk.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker stands up a malicious or compromised SSH server (or performs a man-in-the-middle on an SSH session) and lures or waits for a Windows user or administrator to connect using the built-in OpenSSH for Windows client. During the connection, the server returns crafted protocol data that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the connecting user. No public proof-of-concept or active exploitation is identified in the provided data, and the UI:R requirement means a victim must initiate the vulnerable connection.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.5% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Heap-based buffer overflow in OpenSSH for Windows can let an unauthenticated network attacker execute code, but the CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H and the independent assessment indicate the victim must initiate the vulnerable SSH operation, likely by using an affected Windows OpenSSH client against an attacker-controlled or compromised SSH server. Affected builds span Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 as enumerated in EUVD-2026-99587; Microsoft has released patched builds through the MSRC update guide. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and CISA SSVC marks exploitation as none and Automatable as no, so risk is gated by user interaction and the need for the victim to connect to attacker-influenced infrastructure.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft MSRC update for CVE-2026-88157; fixed builds include Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Version 1809 at 10.0.17763.9376, Windows Server 2022 at 10.0.20348.5761, Windows Server 2025 at 10.0.26100.33650, Windows 10 Version 21H2 at 10.0.19044.7807, Windows 10 Version 22H2 at 10.0.19044.7807 as listed, Windows 11 Version 23H2 at 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 Version 24H2 at 10.0.26100.9711, Windows 11 Version 25H2 at 10.0.26200.9711, Windows 11 version 26H1 at 10.0.28000.3231, and Windows 11 Version 26H2 at 10.0.26300.9711. Administrators should deploy the update through normal Windows Update, WSUS, or Microsoft Update Catalog channels and verify that OpenSSH for Windows builds on managed endpoints match the fixed Windows build numbers; see https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88157. If patching is delayed, disable or remove the OpenSSH for Windows optional feature on systems that do not require SSH access, accepting the trade-off that SSH-based remote management and automation will stop working; restrict outbound SSH connections to trusted internal jump hosts or allowlisted servers because exploitation requires the victim to initiate a connection; and avoid using affected OpenSSH clients to connect to untrusted or attacker-controlled SSH servers. These compensating controls reduce exposure but do not remediate the heap overflow.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.3231
Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0 <10.0.26300.9711
Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9376
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7652
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9711
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9711

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_1809 fix: 10.0.17763.9376
euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_11_version_23h2 fix: 10.0.22631.7652
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.9711
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.9711
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.3231
euvd windows_11_version_26h2 fix: 10.0.26300.9711
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 flaw is a CWE-122 heap-based buffer overflow in the OpenSSH for Windows component, meaning attacker-controlled data can overflow a heap allocation and potentially corrupt memory, leading to code execution in the context of the OpenSSH process. OpenSSH is the widely used SSH implementation, and the Windows build is distributed as an optional feature on supported Windows client and server editions. The CVSS vector is network-reachable (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), unauthenticated (PR:N), but requires user interaction (UI:R), which aligns with an exploitation path where a victim must initiate the vulnerable operation. The independent assessment notes the exact triggering feature is not specified in the description and recommends confirming whether the issue is server-side or client-side against the Microsoft MSRC advisory; the UI:R metric and SSVC Automatable: no are consistent with a client-side or user-initiated connection path rather than a fully autonomous network worm. Successful exploitation yields total impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), but no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Network-reachable unauthenticated heap overflow, but UI:R reflects the victim-initiated client-side connection; total code-execution impact gives C:H/I:H/A:H with unchanged scope.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/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
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
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
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Heap-based buffer overflow in OpenSSH for Windows allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A memory-corruption flaw in OpenSSH for Windows - shipping with Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 - could allow an attacker to run code on a workstation or server, but only after a user on that machine initiates an SSH connection to an attacker-controlled or compromised server. Because the trigger is an outbound developer or administrator action rather than an inbound attack, the realistic exposure sits with staff who regularly SSH into external or third-party hosts, and a single successful connection could hand an attacker control of that endpoint under the user's privileges. No public exploit code exists and Microsoft has published fixed builds, so this is a manageable patching and configuration-hygiene problem rather than an emergency breach scenario.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.5%
Top 56% exploitable
Prevalence
High
OpenSSH ships with and is widely enabled across Windows Server and Windows 10/11
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Less Likely
Data Quality
5 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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.5%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

45
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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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