Local security bypass via uncontrolled search path
Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Uncontrolled search path handling in Microsoft Windows Hello allows local authenticated users with high privileges to bypass a security feature. Microsoft identifies Windows Hello as the affected component but has not disclosed the searched resource, search locations, or exact trust check that accepts attacker-controlled content. Exploitation requires local high-privilege access and results in confidentiality loss without reported integrity or availability impact.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled search path handling in Microsoft Windows Hello allows local authenticated users with high privileges to bypass a security feature. Microsoft identifies Windows Hello as the affected component but has not disclosed the searched resource, search locations, or exact trust check that accepts attacker-controlled content. Exploitation requires local high-privilege access and results in confidentiality loss without reported integrity or availability impact.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-72980
- Published
- Sep 8, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-427, T1574.007
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 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 <10.0.17763.9245
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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
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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