Double Free in Windows Credential Guard Elevates Privileges

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-21

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Double free in Windows Credential Guard allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-08

Last Modified

2026-09-21

Generated

2026-09-29

AI Q&A

2026-09-09

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-27

NVD

CVE-2026-72958

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	to 10.0.26100.9445 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	to 10.0.26100.9445 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	to 10.0.26200.9445 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	to 10.0.26200.9445 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.2954 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	to 10.0.28000.2954 (exc)
microsoft	windows_server_2025	to 10.0.26100.33438 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-415	The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a double free issue in Windows Credential Guard. A double free occurs when a program frees the same memory twice, which can lead to memory corruption and allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or elevate privileges.

Impact Analysis

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

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft to patch the double free vulnerability in Windows Credential Guard. Monitor Microsoft's update guide for the official patch release.

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