CVE-2026-88117

8.1High

Published 13 Oct 2026 · NVD status: Undergoing Analysis · AI triage by gemini-3.8-flash

8.1High

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: High
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Impact: Full C/I/A compromise
Weakness: CWE-416

Impact

Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code over the network on the Windows DHCP Server without authentication. Exploitation requires network access to the DHCP service under specific race or timing conditions.

Root cause

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Windows DHCP Server service memory handling.

Affected systems

Versions not listed — check the vendor advisory.

CVSS v3.1 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Fix & remediation

Install the official security update from Microsoft for this vulnerability. As an interim workaround, stop and disable the Windows DHCP Server service or restrict UDP ports 67 and 68 to trusted network segments.

shell

$ Stop-Service -Name DHCPServer -Force; Set-Service -Name DHCPServer -StartupType Disabled

AI-suggested. Run it in staging first and check it against the vendor advisory. Why?

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NVD description

Use after free in Windows DHCP Server allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

References

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88117

Source: nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-88117