Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessAuthenticate to reach NPS/RADIUS service
-
DeliverySend crafted authentication/policy traffic
-
ExploitTrigger heap-based buffer overflow in NPS
-
ExecutionGroom heap and gain control flow
-
ImpactExecute arbitrary code on server
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 reach and be authorized against the Network Policy Server (NPS) role - the Windows RADIUS/802.1X authentication service - which must be installed and running (NPS is not enabled by default on a base OS and is typically present only on servers acting as RADIUS or NAP infrastructure). The CVSS vector (PR:L) indicates some level of authorized access is required, so this is an authenticated attack, not anonymous remote. AC:H means reliable exploitation of the heap overflow is non-trivial and likely requires heap grooming, which limits opportunistic use. Limiting factors: the target must have the NPS role deployed, the attacker needs prior authorized network access, and no user interaction is involved (UI:N) but success is probabilistic given the high complexity. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but not top-tier priority. The CVSS 7.5 (HIGH) reflects total C/I/A impact (C:H/I:H/A:H) and a network vector (AV:N), but several signals pull the real-world risk down. Attack complexity is HIGH (AC:H) and privileges are required (PR:L), meaning the attacker must already be an authenticated/authorized party and must win a non-trivial heap-grooming race to exploit the overflow reliably. CISA's SSVC framework reinforces this: Exploitation=none (no observed activity), Automatable=no (cannot be reliably scripted at scale), though Technical Impact=total (full code execution if successful). There is no CISA KEV listing and no EPSS score provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the input. No POC is referenced. The signals are internally consistent - a high-impact, high-complexity, privilege-requiring flaw that is NOT currently being exploited and is NOT readily automatable - so treat this as 'patch on normal cadence, prioritize on internet-exposed or multi-tenant RADIUS/NPS servers' rather than an emergency. Note that EPSS and KEV data are absent from the input, so the exploitation-probability picture is inferred from SSVC alone and should be re-checked against live feeds. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already holds low-level authorized access on the network (e.g., a valid user able to reach the NPS/RADIUS service) sends crafted authentication or policy traffic that corrupts the NPS process heap, culminating in arbitrary code execution on the Windows Server hosting the Network Policy Server role. Because attack complexity is HIGH and exploitation is not automatable, success requires precise heap manipulation rather than a simple one-shot packet. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Remote code execution is possible on Windows hosts that have the Network Policy Server (NPS) role deployed, where an authenticated attacker with network reach to the service can trigger a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) and potentially take over the NPS process (CVSS 7.5; CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Because NPS is the Windows RADIUS/802.1X authentication service and is not installed by default, exposure is effectively limited to servers functioning as RADIUS or NAP infrastructure, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the heap grooming typically required for reliable exploitation rather than an easily automated attack. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, CISA's SSVC assessment records exploitation as 'none' with automatable 'no', and a vendor patch is available, so this is a genuine but not top-tier priority that should be handled in normal patch cadence.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor patch now; Microsoft confirms a fix is available from the vendor and the minimum remediated builds from the EUVD version data are Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016 at 10.0.14393.9612, Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019 at 10.0.17763.9376, Windows 10 21H2/22H2 at 10.0.19044.7807, Windows 11 23H2 at 10.0.22631.7652, Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 at 10.0.26100.9711/10.0.26100.33650, Windows 11 25H2 at 10.0.26200.9711, Windows 11 26H1 at 10.0.28000.3231, Windows 11 26H2 at 10.0.26300.9711, Windows Server 2022 at 10.0.20348.5761, Windows Server 2012 at 6.2.9200.26434, and Windows Server 2012 R2 at 6.3.9600.23470 - verify exact applicability against the MSRC update guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-70207) before deploying. Until patched, reduce the attack surface around the PR:L precondition by restricting firewall access to the NPS listener ports (UDP 1812/1813, and the legacy 1645/1646 if enabled) so only known NAS/authenticator IPs can reach the service - the trade-off is that any legitimate but unlisted VPN concentrator, wireless controller, or switch that uses those ports will fail authentication. Tighten NPS remote RADIUS client entries to an explicit allowlist and audit the accounts and groups authorized to interact with NPS, since the vectored attack requires authorized access; consider requiring IPsec domain isolation or RADIUS over TLS (RFC 6614) for NPS traffic, accepting that legacy NAS hardware without TLS/IPsec support may need replacement or a segmented compromise policy. On hosts where the NPS role is not required, remove it entirely, which eliminates exposure and costs nothing beyond confirming no dependent RADIUS or NAP policy relies on it.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
NPS is Microsoft's implementation of a RADIUS server, RADIUS proxy, and Network Access Protection/802.1X policy engine, used to centralize authentication, authorization, and accounting for VPN, Wi-Fi, and 802.1X wired access. The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122), meaning network-supplied input is copied into a fixed-size heap allocation without adequate bounds validation, so the write can spill past the allocation and corrupt adjacent heap metadata or objects. With the CVSS vector scored as AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, the attacker is remote but authenticated (PR:L) and must reach the NPS role, while AC:H indicates that turning the overflow into reliable code execution requires careful control of heap layout (content, padding, or grooming messages), which is why this is not considered automatable. Successful exploitation would grant code execution in the context of the NPS service process, which is why confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all rated High; the assessed vector matches the independent assessment exactly (authenticated, high complexity, no user interaction, unchanged scope).
Know when Windows gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable RADIUS service (AV:N) exploitable only by an authorized party (PR:L) via difficult heap grooming (AC:H), yielding full code execution (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap-based buffer overflow in Network Policy Server (NPS) allows an authorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
Organizations that run the Windows Network Policy Server (NPS) role for RADIUS and 802.1X authentication face a high-severity remote code execution risk, but only on systems where the service is deployed and reachable by an authenticated attacker. A successful heap buffer overflow could allow takeover of the NPS process, disrupting network access control and potentially exposing authentication infrastructure. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and a vendor patch is available, so leadership should prioritize patching NPS servers in normal cadence while limiting exposure.
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.
Unauthenticated remote code execution in SmarterTools SmarterMail lets an attacker upload arbitrary files to any locatio
Windows Win32k fails to properly handle objects in memory, allowing local privilege escalation exploited in the wild in
A privilege escalation vulnerability (CVSS 5.5). Risk factors: actively exploited (KEV-listed), EPSS 94% exploitation pr
Windows Internet Shortcut Files (.url) contain an external control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33053, CVSS 8.8) that enables
Windows SMB contains an improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2025-33073, CVSS 8.8) enabling authenticated attacker
Twonky Server 8.5.2 on Linux and Windows allows unauthenticated access to the admin log file through a web service API b
An unrestricted file upload vulnerability exists in MiniWeb HTTP Server <= Build 300 that allows unauthenticated remote
FreeFloat FTP Server contains multiple critical design flaws that allow unauthenticated remote attackers to upload arbit
Serviio Media Server versions 1.4 through 1.8 on Windows contain an unauthenticated command injection in the /rest/actio
Twonky Server 8.5.2 uses hard-coded cryptographic keys for encrypting the administrator password. Combined with the cred
Mako Server versions 2.5 and 2.6 contain an unauthenticated OS command injection via the tutorial interface at examples/
React Native Metro Development Server binds to external interfaces by default and contains an OS command injection endpo
EUVD-2026-99869
GHSA-49x5-cmqc-gc6m
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB