Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local account
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ExploitSupply externally-controlled format string to NTFS
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ExecutionTrigger CWE-134 memory corruption
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ImpactElevate to SYSTEM privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Format string safety
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already possess local access with at least low-level privileges (CVSS PR:L) on an affected Windows system - i.e., the ability to execute a crafted local process that passes attacker-controlled format-string input into the vulnerable Windows NTFS code path. No user interaction is required (UI:N) and no special or non-default configuration is indicated; the vulnerable NTFS driver is part of default Windows installations across the listed Windows 10/11, Server 2012 through Server 2025 builds. The principal limiting factor is the need for a pre-existing authenticated local foothold: the flaw is not remotely reachable (AV:L) and SSVC marks it non-automatable, so it serves as a privilege-escalation stage rather than an initial-access or self-spreading vector. |
| Impact | This is a local elevation-of-privilege flaw in Windows NTFS (CWE-134, externally-controlled format string). The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8 HIGH) indicates a local attack vector with low complexity requiring low privileges and no user interaction, yielding total confidentiality, integrity and availability impact - consistent with full SYSTEM compromise from a low-privileged foothold. The signals are internally consistent but point to a prioritize-but-not-emergency posture: CISA's SSVC decision shows Exploitation=none, Automatable=no, and Technical Impact=total, meaning high damage potential if exploited but no observed exploitation and no automatability (expected for a local EoP that cannot self-propagate). There is no KEV listing, no POC reference, and no EPSS score in the supplied data - so exploitation probability cannot be quantified and absence of EPSS/KEV/POC should not be read as proof of safety. Because PR:L requires an attacker to already hold a valid low-privileged local account or code-execution foothold, real-world risk is gated on prior access; this is a classic second-stage privilege-escalation primitive rather than an initial-access or wormable threat. Net: a genuine patch-priority item given ubiquitous Windows footprint and total technical impact, but not an immediate drop-everything emergency absent evidence of active exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained a low-privileged foothold on a Windows host (e.g., via phishing, a standard user account, or a prior exploit) runs a crafted local process that supplies attacker-controlled format-string data to a vulnerable NTFS code path, corrupting memory or manipulating formatted output to escalate to SYSTEM. No user interaction is required and attack complexity is low once local access exists. No public exploit identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Windows NTFS lets an attacker who already holds low-privileged local access on an affected Windows installation feed attacker-controlled input into a format-string handling path in the file system driver, resulting in elevated privileges with full impact to confidentiality, integrity and availability (CVSS 7.8). The flaw is not remotely reachable and no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis; CISA's SSVC assessment rates exploitation as 'none' and the flaw as non-automatable, so it functions as a post-compromise privilege-escalation stage rather than an initial-access or self-propagating vector. Microsoft has released fixed builds for the affected Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server versions.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Microsoft has published fixed builds covering every affected branch, so remediation is to apply the current cumulative security update rather than a standalone NTFS hotfix - specifically Windows 11 24H2 to 10.0.26100.9711, 25H2 to 10.0.26200.9711, 26H2 to 10.0.26300.9711, 26H1 to 10.0.28000.3231 and 23H2 to 10.0.22631.7652; Windows 10 21H2/22H2 to 10.0.19044.7807, 1809 to 10.0.17763.9376 and 1607 to 10.0.14393.9612; and Windows Server 2025 to 10.0.26100.33650, Server 2022 to 10.0.20348.5761, Server 2019 to 10.0.17763.9376, Server 2016 to 10.0.14393.9612, Server 2012 R2 to 6.3.9600.23470 and Server 2012 to 6.2.9200.26434 - coordinating deployment through the MSRC update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-83585 and your normal patch-ring process, with priority on multi-user systems such as terminal servers, VDI hosts and jump boxes where a low-privileged local foothold is easiest to obtain and hardest to contain. No configuration workaround removes the defect itself, so where patching must be deferred the pragmatic mitigations are to reduce the population of accounts and processes that can execute arbitrary local code on sensitive hosts: enforce least privilege and remove unnecessary local interactive logon rights, and use WDAC or AppLocker in allow-list mode to block unsigned or unapproved binaries on high-value servers - accepting the operational cost that legitimate in-house tools must be signed and explicitly whitelisted beforehand. Because exploitation is local and requires an existing foothold (SSVC: not automatable, exploitation 'none'), detection effort is better spent on post-exploitation behaviour than on network signatures: alert on unexpected processes spawning from services or low-integrity contexts, on suspicious token or privilege changes, and on crash telemetry from ntfs.sys or other kernel drivers, which can indicate a failed format-string attempt. Nothing in the available data points to a remote or self-propagating vector, so perimeter and email controls need no CVE-specific change.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause is CWE-134, Use of Externally-Controlled Format String, in the Windows NTFS file system driver (ntfs.sys) and related NTFS code paths shipped in default Windows installations. A format-string defect occurs when a buffer containing attacker-influenced data is passed directly as the format argument to a printf-family routine rather than as data to a fixed format string; the injected conversion specifiers are then interpreted by the kernel routine. Read specifiers such as %x or %s can disclose stack or memory contents - consistent with the 'Information Disclosure' tag attached to this issue - while the %n specifier allows writes to attacker-chosen addresses, which in kernel mode is the classic path to memory corruption and SYSTEM-level code execution. This CVE's CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H vector and the SSVC 'Technical Impact: total' rating indicate that a successful exploit yields complete loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability on the host. Because the vector is AV:L with PR:L, the vulnerable code path is reachable only from a local process already running under a low-privileged, authenticated context; there is no network or remote attack surface, no user interaction requirement (UI:N), and scope remains unchanged (S:U), meaning the compromise is confined to the affected system's security authority rather than crossing a trust boundary such as a hypervisor or container.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only NTFS flaw requiring a low-privileged account (AV:L, PR:L) with no user interaction and reliable triggering (AC:L), yielding full SYSTEM compromise (C/I/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use of externally-controlled format string in Windows NTFS allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows NTFS file system driver allows an attacker with existing low-privileged access to gain elevated privileges on affected Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This post-compromise escalation path increases the risk of full host takeover, lateral movement, and data loss following an initial foothold, making timely patching critical to reducing organizational exposure. Microsoft has released fixed builds, and while no public exploit has been identified, leadership should ensure remediation is prioritized to protect against insider threats and advanced attackers.
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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EUVD-2026-99924
GHSA-gx59-32g8-8fj7
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB