CVE-2026-97803

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Heap-based Buffer Overflow in Windows Kernel

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-16

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

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-2026-97803

EUVD

EUVD-2026-100405

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.3231 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.3231 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-122	A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Windows Kernel. It allows an authorized attacker with local access to elevate their privileges on the system.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows Kernel. Detection typically requires analyzing system logs for unusual kernel behavior or crashes. Use Event Viewer to check for kernel-related errors or system instability. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can also detect anomalous kernel activity. No direct commands are provided in the available resources.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to gain higher-level permissions on your system, potentially allowing them to install programs, view or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows local privilege escalation in the Windows Kernel, which could enable unauthorized access to sensitive data or system functions. This may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information security) by compromising confidentiality and integrity of protected data.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Windows security updates from Microsoft Update to patch the heap-based buffer overflow in the Windows Kernel.

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