Use After Free in Windows Security Center Allows Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-08

Assigner: Microsoft Corporation

Description

Use after free in Windows Security Center allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-08

Last Modified

2026-09-08

Generated

2026-09-09

AI Q&A

2026-09-09

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-77899

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
microsoft	windows_security_center	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a use after free vulnerability in Windows Security Center. It allows an authorized attacker with local access to exploit a freed memory issue to elevate their privileges on the system.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could gain higher privileges on your system, allowing them to perform unauthorized actions such as installing malicious software, accessing sensitive data, or taking control of your device.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft to patch the Windows Security Center component. Monitor Microsoft's security advisories for patches and install them promptly.

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