CVE-2026-85352

Undergoing Analysis Undergoing Analysis - In Progress

Use After Free in Windows Device Association Service Allows Local Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-16

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Use after free in Windows Device Association Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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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-2026-85352

EUVD

EUVD-2026-99479

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Microsoft	Windows	10 Version 1607 10.0.14393.0
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 2012 R2 6.3.9600.0
Microsoft	Windows	Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 6.3.9600.0
Microsoft	Windows	Server 2016 10.0.14393.0
Microsoft	Windows	Server 2016 (Server Core installation) 10.0.14393.0
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

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Windows Device Association Service. It allows an authorized attacker with local access to exploit a freed memory issue to elevate their privileges on the system.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a use-after-free issue in the Windows Device Association Service. Detection typically requires monitoring for unusual privilege escalation events or service crashes. Check Windows Event Viewer for application or system crashes related to the Device Association Service (das.exe). Use commands like 'sc queryex das' to verify service status and 'wevtutil qe System /q:"*[System[EventID=1000]]"' to search for crash logs.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could gain higher-level permissions on your system, allowing them to install programs, view or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights. This requires local access but could lead to full system compromise.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows local privilege escalation via a use-after-free flaw in Windows Device Association Service. While not directly impacting data protection standards like GDPR or HIPAA, unauthorized privilege escalation could enable attackers to bypass access controls, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data. This may violate compliance requirements for data confidentiality and integrity.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Windows security updates from Microsoft to patch the Windows Device Association Service vulnerability. Monitor Microsoft's security advisories for updates and ensure all affected systems are updated promptly.

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