Missing Authentication in Windows Internet Connection Sharing Allows Local Tampering

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-21

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Missing authentication for critical function in Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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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-2026-72964

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
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_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	to 10.0.19044.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	to 10.0.19045.7725 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	to 10.0.22631.7582 (exc)
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	to 10.0.22631.7582 (exc)
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)
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-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 is a missing authentication issue in Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). An authorized attacker can locally tamper with ICS functions without proper authentication, potentially altering its behavior or settings.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to modify network sharing settings, redirect traffic, or disrupt internet access for connected devices. This could lead to unauthorized network changes or service disruptions on affected systems.

Mitigation Strategies

Disable Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) if not needed. Apply Microsoft security updates immediately when available. Restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized access.

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