SYSTEM privilege escalation via registry-link race
Published Mar 10, 2026 · Updated Mar 10, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Accessibility Infrastructure allows local users to obtain SYSTEM privileges through ATBroker.exe. A user-writable ATConfig key is copied across security contexts, and an oplock-timed registry symbolic link redirects a SYSTEM write to an arbitrary key. Low-privilege code execution and creation of a secure desktop are required; the demonstrated chain rewrites a service ImagePath and starts code as SYSTEM.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Accessibility Infrastructure allows local users to obtain SYSTEM privileges through ATBroker.exe. A user-writable ATConfig key is copied across security contexts, and an oplock-timed registry symbolic link redirects a SYSTEM write to an arbitrary key. Low-privilege code execution and creation of a secure desktop are required; the demonstrated chain rewrites a service ImagePath and starts code as SYSTEM.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-24291
- Published
- Mar 10, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-732, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 1, 2025Exploitation reportedRegPwn red-team use
- Mar 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.8511
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- RegPwnweaponized · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- RegPwn red-team usereported exploitation
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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