Local privilege escalation via Win32k use-after-free
Published Jul 14, 2026 · Updated Jul 14, 2026
Use-after-free in Windows Win32k allows local users on affected Windows 11 and Server 2025 builds to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies a freed kernel object as the fault but has not published the Win32k object, function, or operation that reuses it. An authenticated local account is required; successful exploitation crosses a security boundary and grants higher privileges, with no remote attack path reported.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Windows Win32k allows local users on affected Windows 11 and Server 2025 builds to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies a freed kernel object as the fault but has not published the Win32k object, function, or operation that reuses it. An authenticated local account is required; successful exploitation crosses a security boundary and grants higher privileges, with no remote attack path reported.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-50687
- Published
- Jul 14, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 14, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 14, 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=10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33158
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.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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