CVE-2026-96858

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Missing Authentication in Windows Security Account Manager

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-28

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Missing authentication for critical function in Windows Security Account Manager allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-13

Last Modified

2026-10-28

Generated

2026-11-08

AI Q&A

2026-10-14

EPSS Evaluated

2026-11-07

NVD

CVE-2026-96858

EUVD

EUVD-2026-100237

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7807 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7807 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7807 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	to 10.0.22631.7652 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	to 10.0.22631.7652 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	to 10.0.26100.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	to 10.0.26100.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	to 10.0.26200.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	to 10.0.26200.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.3231 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.3231 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h2	to 10.0.26300.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h2	to 10.0.26300.9711 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2025	to 10.0.26100.33650 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2022	to 10.0.20348.5761 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7807 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7807 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7807 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-306	The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves missing authentication for a critical function in the Windows Security Account Manager. An authorized attacker can exploit this to perform tampering actions locally on affected systems.

Detection Guidance

Detection requires monitoring for unauthorized modifications to the Windows Security Account Manager (SAM) database. Check for unexpected changes in SAM files (e.g., C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM) using file integrity tools like Windows File Integrity Monitor or third-party solutions. Review system logs for unusual access patterns to SAM-related registry keys (e.g., HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM).

Impact Analysis

An attacker could modify sensitive system settings or data locally, potentially leading to unauthorized changes, system instability, or bypassing security controls. This requires the attacker to already have some level of access to the system.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows unauthorized tampering with the Security Account Manager, which could lead to unauthorized changes in user permissions or system configurations. Such tampering may violate compliance requirements for data integrity and access control in standards like GDPR and HIPAA, as it undermines secure authentication and audit mechanisms.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft to address the missing authentication in Windows Security Account Manager. Monitor for unauthorized tampering attempts and restrict local access to critical system functions.

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