CVE-2026-69978
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Null Pointer Dereference in Windows VMSwitch Allows Local DoS

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-16

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description
Null pointer dereference in Windows VMSwitch allows an authorized attacker to deny service locally.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-13
Last Modified
2026-10-16
Generated
2026-10-19
AI Q&A
2026-10-14
EPSS Evaluated
2026-10-18
NVD
CVE-2026-69978
EUVD
EUVD-2026-99129

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 14 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 10.0.17763.0
Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0
Microsoft Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0
Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2 10.0.22631.0
Microsoft Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0
Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0
Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0
Microsoft Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0
Microsoft Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 10.0.17763.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) 10.0.17763.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-476 The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a null pointer dereference flaw in the Windows VMSwitch component. It allows an authorized attacker to cause a denial of service on the local system by exploiting this issue.

Impact Analysis

An authorized attacker could exploit this to crash the system or make it unresponsive, leading to service disruption. Since it requires local access, physical or network-based access to the system is needed.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability causes a denial of service locally, which may disrupt system availability. Compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA require maintaining data availability and integrity, so such disruptions could impact compliance if critical systems are affected.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft to patch the null pointer dereference in Windows VMSwitch. Monitor Microsoft's update guide for the official patch and install it as soon as possible.

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