CVE-2026-96946

7.8High

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

7.8High

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

Impact

A local authenticated attacker can elevate privileges to SYSTEM or kernel level. They need valid local user credentials or existing code execution on the target Windows system.

Root cause

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Windows Universal Disk Format File System Driver (udfs.sys).

Affected systems

Versions not listed — check the vendor advisory.

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

Fix & remediation

Install the security update from Microsoft for CVE-2026-96946 via Windows Update or WSUS; as an interim workaround, prevent unprivileged users from mounting untrusted UDF media or disable the UDFS driver if unused.

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 Universal Disk Format File System Driver (UDFS) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

References

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96946PatchVendor Advisory

Source: nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96946