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 targeting Sysmain service
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ExploitTrigger out-of-bounds read in service
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ExecutionLeak sensitive memory / corrupt state
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ImpactElevate privileges to SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, read limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Collection 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 have local, authenticated access to the Windows host as a low-privileged user (PR:L) and the ability to execute code that interacts with the Sysmain (SysMain/Superfetch) service, which is enabled by default on standard Windows client and server installations. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L). Limiting factors: the flaw is NOT remotely exploitable (AV:L) - the attacker must first obtain a foothold on the machine - so it cannot be used for initial access and is confined to privilege escalation after compromise; environments where the Sysmain service is disabled would reduce the attack surface. |
| Impact | CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.8 (High) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating a local, low-complexity privilege-escalation flaw that requires an already-authenticated low-privileged user (PR:L) but no user interaction. This is a classic local EoP profile: not remotely reachable, so it is a second-stage weapon used after an attacker already has code execution on the host, rather than an initial-access vector. No EPSS score was provided in the input, and the vulnerability is NOT listed in CISA KEV and has no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so there is no current evidence of active or widespread exploitation. Net real-world priority is moderate-to-high for patch prioritization because the affected product (Windows) is ubiquitous and local EoP bugs are routinely chained into post-compromise toolkits, but it is not an emergency drop-everything issue absent exploitation signals. One data conflict to verify: the Description states an 'Out-of-bounds read' (CWE-125), which is primarily an information-disclosure/memory-read primitive, yet the supplied CVSS rates Integrity and Availability as High (I:H/A:H); an OOB read alone usually yields C:H with lower I/A, so the full-CIA rating appears to reflect the ultimate privilege gain rather than the read primitive itself - treat I:H/A:H as vendor-assigned and verify against the Microsoft advisory. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged user who already has a foothold on a Windows host (e.g., via phishing or an existing malware implant) runs a crafted program that triggers an out-of-bounds read in the Sysmain service to leak sensitive memory and elevate to higher privileges. Because the vector is local and requires no user interaction, this is used as a post-exploitation privilege-escalation step to reach SYSTEM. No public proof-of-concept or exploit code was identified in the provided data. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Local privilege escalation in the Windows SysMain (Superfetch) service (CVE-2026-96306, CVSS 3.1 base 7.8 High) allows an authenticated low-privileged user who already has code execution on a Windows host to exploit an out-of-bounds read in the service and obtain elevated privileges, with high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The flaw is local-only (AV:L), low complexity (AC:L), requires low privileges (PR:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), so it cannot be used for initial access and is confined to post-compromise escalation. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the issue is not confirmed as actively exploited (CISA KEV); a vendor patch is available from Microsoft.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-96306 as documented at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96306, which raises affected systems to at least Windows 10 21H2 build 10.0.19044.7807, Windows 10 1809 / Server 2019 build 10.0.17763.9376, Windows 10 1607 / Server 2016 build 10.0.14393.9612, Windows 11 23H2 build 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 24H2 and 26H2 build 10.0.26300.9711, Windows 11 25H2 build 10.0.26200.9711, or Windows 11 26H1 build 10.0.28000.3231 as applicable to your release channel; patch priority should treat this as a High-severity local elevation-of-privilege issue and can be deferred only where local low-privileged code execution on the host is not a realistic threat. Because exploitation requires an existing local foothold, the most effective compensating control is to harden initial-access paths (application allowlisting, blocking untrusted binaries, restricting interactive and RDP logon rights) rather than relying on service removal; additionally, disabling the SysMain service (sc config SysMain start= disabled and stopping it) removes the locally reachable component at the cost of losing Superfetch/ReadyBoost performance caching and some telemetry-driven memory optimization, and is generally only advisable as a temporary measure on high-value systems until the patched build can be deployed, since it can degrade application launch performance and is not a supported long-term state on all SKUs.
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
SysMain (historically Superfetch) is a built-in Windows user-mode service that preloads frequently used applications and manages memory/caching telemetry on behalf of the operating system, and it runs with elevated (SYSTEM-level) privileges on client and server editions. CVE-2026-96306 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read: the service parses attacker-influenced data without correctly validating a length or index, causing it to read memory past the end of an allocated buffer within its own privileged process context. Because the affected code executes at a higher integrity level than the calling low-privileged user, the resulting memory disclosure and associated memory-safety weakness give a local attacker the primitive needed to elevate privileges rather than merely leak information - consistent with the assessed vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Public reporting (ENISA EUVD-2026-99761, Microsoft) tags the issue under buffer overflow / information disclosure classes and maps it to the Microsoft SysMain component; the underlying service is installed and running by default on standard Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server installations, which keeps the locally reachable attack surface broad.
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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 authenticated low-privileged attacker exploits the service with no interaction (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N); impact aligned to vendor's full privilege-gain rating, though an OOB read alone would more naturally be C:H with lower I/A.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Out-of-bounds read in Windows Sysmain Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A privilege-escalation flaw in the Windows SysMain (Superfetch) service affects supported Windows endpoints and servers, allowing an attacker who has already gained a foothold on a machine to raise their access to administrative level. Because the flaw cannot be used to break into a system in the first place, the practical risk is concentrated in environments where attackers are already present - making it a meaningful escalation step in ransomware and lateral-movement campaigns rather than a standalone entry point. Leadership should treat this as a patch-management priority for the Windows estate, particularly for high-value systems such as domain controllers, hypervisors, and privileged administrative workstations.
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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Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-99761
GHSA-r5jv-gcj3-5p7m
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB