CVE-2026-96932

7.0High

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

7.0High

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: High
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Impact: Full C/I/A compromise
Weakness: CWE-362

Impact

A local attacker with standard user privileges can elevate to SYSTEM on vulnerable Windows systems. Exploitation requires existing local credentials to run code and exploit a high-complexity race condition.

Root cause

A race condition occurs during concurrent access to a shared resource without proper synchronization in the Windows Embedded Mode Service.

Affected systems

Versions not listed — check the vendor advisory.

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

Fix & remediation

Install the security update from the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, stop and disable the Windows Embedded Mode Service (embeddedmode).

shell

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

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

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NVD description

Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Embedded Mode Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

References

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96932PatchVendor Advisory

Source: nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96932