CVE-2026-62761

Privilege escalation via link following

Published Aug 11, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

Improper link resolution in Windows DHCP Server allows local users to gain elevated privileges on affected Windows releases. Microsoft and NVD identify a link-following flaw, but public records do not disclose which file path or file operation resolves an attacker-controlled link before access. Exploitation requires local access on a host with the DHCP Server role installed, and the published impact is confined to privilege escalation on that system rather than remote abuse of DHCP traffic.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.36%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper link resolution in Windows DHCP Server allows local users to gain elevated privileges on affected Windows releases. Microsoft and NVD identify a link-following flaw, but public records do not disclose which file path or file operation resolves an attacker-controlled link before access. Exploitation requires local access on a host with the DHCP Server role installed, and the published impact is confined to privilege escalation on that system rather than remote abuse of DHCP traffic.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-62761
Published
Aug 11, 2026
Updated
Aug 25, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-59
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.8Microsoft CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo