Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessDeliver crafted RAW image via email or web
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ExploitUser opens/previews image in Raw Image Extension
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ExecutionInteger overflow triggers heap buffer overflow
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code in user context
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 | Requires the optional Windows Raw Image Extension codec (versions 2.1.0.0 up to but not including 2.4.36.0) to be installed on the target - it is not present on default Windows installations. Exploitation further requires user interaction (CVSS UI:R): the victim must open, preview, or let the shell generate a thumbnail for an attacker-supplied malformed RAW image file. No authentication is required (PR:N) and the malicious file can be delivered remotely (AV:N) via email, web download, or network share. The dependence on both the optional codec being installed and victim interaction with the crafted file are the primary factors limiting real-world exploitation. |
| Impact | This is a credible, patch-worthy priority but not a drop-everything emergency based on the signals available. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) describes an unauthenticated, low-complexity remote code execution triggered by user interaction - consistent with a malicious RAW image file delivered via email, web, or file share and opened/previewed by the victim. CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow) stemming from an integer overflow in the Windows Raw Image Extension codec aligns well with the 'execute code over a network' description. However, several enriching signals are MISSING: no EPSS score was provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified; there is no CISA KEV listing and no POC indicator, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis'; and no SSVC decision data was supplied. The UI:R requirement materially lowers real-world risk versus a zero-click flaw - successful attack depends on social engineering the victim into opening a crafted image. The product is also an OPTIONAL Windows component, not installed by default on every host, further narrowing the realistic attack surface. Net: treat as High-priority patching (Microsoft patch is available) given RCE potential, but absent KEV/POC/EPSS data there is no evidence of active or imminent widespread exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malformed RAW camera image file that triggers an integer overflow leading to a heap buffer overflow in the Windows Raw Image Extension codec, then delivers it via email attachment, malicious website, or shared folder. When the victim opens or previews the file on a system with the vulnerable extension installed, the overflow corrupts heap memory and allows arbitrary code execution in the user's context. No public exploit code was identified in the provided intelligence, and exploitation requires the user to interact with the malicious file (UI:R). |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Remote code execution in the optional Microsoft Windows Raw Image Extension codec (versions 2.1.0.0 up to but not including 2.4.36.0) allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to run arbitrary code in the context of the victim user by supplying a malformed RAW image file. Exploitation requires user interaction (CVSS UI:R) - the victim must open, preview, or let Explorer generate a thumbnail for the crafted file, which can be delivered via email, web download, or a network share - and requires the optional codec to be installed, since it is not present on default Windows installations (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 8.8). No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the flaw is not confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV); vendor patch data indicates a fix is available. Overall this is a credible, patch-worthy priority but not a drop-everything emergency, given the dependency on the optional codec and on victim interaction with the malicious file.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: 2.4.36.0. Update the Windows Raw Image Extension to version 2.4.36.0 or later via its Microsoft Store package (the codec updates through the Store, not Windows Update, so verify the installed version after updating) and consult the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96943 for the vendor's guidance; patch data confirms a fix is available from the vendor. Where patching is delayed or the extension is not needed, uninstalling the Raw Image Extension removes the attack surface entirely - the trade-off is loss of RAW image preview/thumbnail capability on that host. Additional compensating controls, each with caveats: avoid opening, previewing, or extracting metadata/thumbnails from untrusted RAW files received by email, download, or network share (users should not preview attachments or browse folders containing untrusted RAW files, since mere Explorer thumbnail generation can trigger parsing); disable thumbnail previews/Explorer icon previews via Group Policy ('Turn off the display of thumbnails and only display icons') to prevent automatic parsing, at the cost of degraded file-browsing experience; and block RAW file extensions (.cr2, .nef, .arw, .dng, and similar) at email and web gateways, understanding that extension filtering is trivially bypassed inside archives and is only a defense-in-depth measure. Note that because exploitation requires user interaction (UI:R), user awareness about opening untrusted image files is itself a meaningful control.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The Windows Raw Image Extension is an optional Microsoft Store-delivered Windows Imaging Component (WIC) codec that adds parsing support for camera RAW formats (e.g., CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG) so that Explorer, Photos, and other WIC consumers can preview them and generate shell thumbnails. The root cause class is a memory-safety defect in the codec's RAW file parser: per the description an integer overflow or wraparound occurs during size or offset computation, which, mapped to CWE-122 (heap-based buffer overflow), results in an undersized heap allocation followed by an out-of-bounds write when the crafted image data is processed. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R indicates the malicious file can originate from a remote source with no credentials and low attack complexity, but that the user must trigger parsing (open, preview, or thumbnail generation). Successful exploitation yields high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) within the scope of the invoking user's privileges. The CPE/product data supplied is limited to the EUVD affected range 'Raw Image Extension 2.1.0.0 < 2.4.36.0', and the sole reference points to the Microsoft MSRC update guide entry for CVE-2026-96943; ENISA EUVD ID EUVD-2026-99794 and tags 'Buffer Overflow', 'Heap Overflow', 'Microsoft' corroborate the heap-overflow classification. Note the minor discrepancy between the description's phrasing (integer overflow/wraparound) and the assigned CWE-122, which is consistent with an integer-wraparound-triggered heap overflow rather than a purely arithmetic defect.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Crafted image is delivered remotely (AV:N) and needs no privileges (PR:N) but requires the victim to open the file (UI:R); heap-overflow RCE in user context yields full C:H/I:H/A:H with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Integer overflow or wraparound in Windows Raw Image Extension allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
The optional Microsoft Windows Raw Image Extension codec, which is not present by default, has a high-severity remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-96943) affecting versions 2.1.0.0 up to but not including 2.4.36.0. An unauthenticated remote attacker could exploit it only when a user opens, previews, or generates a thumbnail for a malicious RAW image on a system where the codec is installed, potentially gaining code execution in that user's context. Because the codec is optional, exploitation requires user interaction, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, this is a patch-priority issue rather than an immediate enterprise-wide emergency, though teams using RAW workflows should act promptly.
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-2026-99794
GHSA-vxjm-6p2h-m9mf
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB