Windows DNS Relative Path Traversal Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-24

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Relative path traversal in Windows DNS allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-08

Last Modified

2026-09-24

Generated

2026-09-29

AI Q&A

2026-09-10

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-27

NVD

CVE-2026-72948

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_server_2012	r2
microsoft	windows_server_2012	*
microsoft	windows_10_1607	to 10.0.14393.9512 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_1607	to 10.0.14393.9512 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_1809	to 10.0.17763.9245 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_1809	to 10.0.17763.9245 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2025	to 10.0.26100.33438 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2016	to 10.0.14393.9512 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2019	to 10.0.17763.9245 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2022	to 10.0.20348.5622 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-23	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize sequences such as ".." that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a relative path traversal issue in Windows DNS that allows an authorized attacker to elevate their privileges locally. This means an attacker with some access could exploit this flaw to gain higher-level permissions on the system.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges on your system. This might let them install programs, view or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights, depending on the attacker's goals.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Windows DNS server updates from Microsoft to patch the relative path traversal vulnerability. Monitor Microsoft's security advisories for patches and install them promptly.

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