HighCVE-2026-69918

    Windows Core Messaging Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVE-2026-69918)

    Published Last modified Sources: Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org, BSI

    What is affected, what to do

    Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Core Messaging allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

    Update Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 to version 10.0.14393.9612, Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 to version 10.0.17763.9376, Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 to version 10.0.19044.7807.

    Affected
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 lt 10.0.19044.0..10.0.19044.7807
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 22H2 lt 10.0.19045.0..10.0.19044.7807
    • Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2 lt 10.0.22631.0..10.0.22631.7652
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2 lt 10.0.26100.0..10.0.26100.9711
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 lt 10.0.26200.0..10.0.26200.9711
    • Microsoft Windows 11 version 26H1 lt 10.0.28000.0..10.0.28000.3231
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 26H2 lt 10.0.26300.0..10.0.26300.9711
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) lt 10.0.14393.0..10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) lt 10.0.17763.0..10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2022 lt 10.0.20348.0..10.0.20348.5761
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2025 lt 10.0.26100.0..10.0.26100.33650
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) lt 10.0.26100.0..10.0.26100.33650
    Fixed in
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.7807
    • Microsoft Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19044.7807
    • Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2 10.0.22631.7652
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.9711
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.9711
    • Microsoft Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.3231
    • Microsoft Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.9711
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.9612
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.9376
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.5761
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.33650
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.33650

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    8.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3

    8.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org, BSI

    0.4 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 27.1

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    High
    Priority score

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    79.85
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    8.8
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    8.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.4 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    27.1
    Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-122

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Core Messaging allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

    Source: Microsoft Security Update Guide, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
    MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1607
    • 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9612
    • 10.0.14393.9612
    MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1809
    • 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9376
    • 10.0.17763.9376
    MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 21H2
    • 10.0.19044.0 – < 10.0.19044.7807
    • 10.0.19044.7807
    MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 22H2
    • 10.0.19045.0 – < 10.0.19044.7807
    • 10.0.19044.7807
    MicrosoftWindows 11 version 23H2
    • 10.0.22631.0 – < 10.0.22631.7652
    • 10.0.22631.7652
    MicrosoftWindows 11 Version 24H2
    • 10.0.26100.0 – < 10.0.26100.9711
    • 10.0.26100.9711
    MicrosoftWindows 11 Version 25H2
    • 10.0.26200.0 – < 10.0.26200.9711
    • 10.0.26200.9711
    MicrosoftWindows 11 version 26H1
    • 10.0.28000.0 – < 10.0.28000.3231
    • 10.0.28000.3231
    MicrosoftWindows 11 Version 26H2
    • 10.0.26300.0 – < 10.0.26300.9711
    • 10.0.26300.9711
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2016
    • 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9612
    • 10.0.14393.9612
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
    • 10.0.14393.0 – < 10.0.14393.9612
    • 10.0.14393.9612
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2019
    • 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9376
    • 10.0.17763.9376
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
    • 10.0.17763.0 – < 10.0.17763.9376
    • 10.0.17763.9376
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2022
    • 10.0.20348.0 – < 10.0.20348.5761
    • 10.0.20348.5761
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2025
    • 10.0.26100.0 – < 10.0.26100.33650
    • 10.0.26100.33650
    MicrosoftWindows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
    • 10.0.26100.0 – < 10.0.26100.33650
    • 10.0.26100.33650
    MicrosoftWindows
    • Security App
    • —

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    FamilyVendorProductVersion
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_10_1607—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_10_1809—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_10_21h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_10_22h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_11_23h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_11_24h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_11_25h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_11_26h1—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_11_26h2—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_server_2016—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_server_2019—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_server_2022—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_server_2025—

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-122Heap-based Buffer Overflow

      Variant

      A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

      Entry at MITRE CWE-122

    References & sources

    Reanalysis & status changes

    Chronological NVD audit events for this CVE — reanalyses, CVSS updates, CPE diffs.

    1. Initial Analysisnvd@nist.gov

      • CVSS V3.1: after AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
      • CPE Configuration: after OR *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.14393.9612 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.14393.9612 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.17763.9376 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.17763.9376 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19044.7807 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19044.7807 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19044.7807 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_23h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.22631.7652 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_23h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.22631.7652 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_24h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26100.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_24h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26100.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_25h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26200.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_25h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26200.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h1:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.28000.3231 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h1:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.28000.3231 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26300.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26300.9711 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.26100.33650 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2022:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.20348.5761 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.14393.9612 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.17763.9376 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19045.7807 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19045.7807 *cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.19045.7807
      • Reference Type: after Microsoft Corporation: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69918 Types: Patch, Vendor Advisory
      • Reference Type: before nvd-ai-agent-0.4.0-gemma-4-31B-it: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69918 Types: Vendor Advisory after nvd-ai-agent-0.4.0-gemma-4-31B-it: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69918 Types: Patch, Vendor Advisory, Vendor Advisory

    2. CVE Modifiedsecure@microsoft.com

      • Affected: after Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/69xxx/CVE-2026-69918.json">CVE-2026-69918</a>

    3. CVE Modified134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

      • SSVC: after {"id":"CVE-2026-69918","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"none"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalI…

    4. New CVE Receivedsecure@microsoft.com

      • Description: after Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Core Messaging allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
      • CVSS V3.1: after AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
      • CWE: after CWE-122
      • Affected: after New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/69xxx/CVE-2026-69918.json">CVE-2026-69918</a>