CVE-2026-62778Network attack vector

Privilege escalation via DNS use-after-free

Published Aug 11, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

Use-after-free in Windows DNS in Microsoft Windows allows remote attackers to gain elevated privileges via network traffic. Microsoft has disclosed only that Windows DNS can reuse freed memory and has mapped the flaw to CWE-416 and CWE-362, but it has not published the affected function, record parser, or lifetime-management path. Exploitation is unauthenticated and network-reachable, but the published CVSS vector assigns high attack complexity, and public records do not show code execution or observed exploitation as of August 19, 2026.

CVSS severity8.1
High
EPSS probability0.51%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Windows DNS in Microsoft Windows allows remote attackers to gain elevated privileges via network traffic. Microsoft has disclosed only that Windows DNS can reuse freed memory and has mapped the flaw to CWE-416 and CWE-362, but it has not published the affected function, record parser, or lifetime-management path. Exploitation is unauthenticated and network-reachable, but the published CVSS vector assigns high attack complexity, and public records do not show code execution or observed exploitation as of August 19, 2026.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-62778
Published
Aug 11, 2026
Updated
Aug 25, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-416, CWE-362, T1068
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

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

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.1Microsoft CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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

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Your stack

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