Vulnerability · Published May 12, 2026 · Assigned by microsoft
CVE-2026-40369Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
High 7.8
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in Windows 11 Version 24H2 from Microsoft. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 4.7% (higher than 92% of all known vulnerabilities). Ready-made attack tooling exists: public proof-of-concept code.
Severity (CVSS 3.1)7.8High
Exploit odds (30 days)4.7%top 8.1% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: poc
Attack tooling1Public PoC
Official description
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows 11 Version 24H2 | 10.0.26100.0 – before 10.0.26100.8457 |
| Microsoft | Windows 11 Version 25H2 | 10.0.26200.0 – before 10.0.26200.8457 |
| Microsoft | Windows 11 version 26H1 | 10.0.28000.0 – before 10.0.28000.2113 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2025 | 10.0.26100.0 – before 10.0.26100.32860 |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) | 10.0.26100.0 – before 10.0.26100.32860 |
Weakness: CWE-822 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
References
- Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability vendor-advisory, patch