CVE-2026-20928: CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
CVE-2026-20928 is a medium severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 where the Windows Recovery Environment Agent improperly removes sensitive information before storage or transfer. This flaw allows an unauthorized attacker with physical access to bypass a security feature. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4. 6 and has an official fix available from Microsoft.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-20928) involves improper removal of sensitive information in the Windows Recovery Environment Agent on Windows 10 Version 1607 (build 10.0.14393.0). Due to this weakness, an attacker with physical access to the device can bypass certain security features by exploiting residual sensitive data that was not properly cleared before storage or transfer. The issue is classified under CWE-212 (Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer). Microsoft has published an official fix to address this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows unauthorized physical attackers to bypass security features by exploiting improperly removed sensitive information. The impact is limited to confidentiality (high impact on confidentiality), with no direct impact on integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft to remediate this vulnerability. Users and administrators should apply the security update provided by Microsoft as detailed in the vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20928. Since this is not a cloud service, remediation requires patching the affected Windows 10 Version 1607 systems.
CVE-2026-20928: CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
Description
CVE-2026-20928 is a medium severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 where the Windows Recovery Environment Agent improperly removes sensitive information before storage or transfer. This flaw allows an unauthorized attacker with physical access to bypass a security feature. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4. 6 and has an official fix available from Microsoft.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-20928) involves improper removal of sensitive information in the Windows Recovery Environment Agent on Windows 10 Version 1607 (build 10.0.14393.0). Due to this weakness, an attacker with physical access to the device can bypass certain security features by exploiting residual sensitive data that was not properly cleared before storage or transfer. The issue is classified under CWE-212 (Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer). Microsoft has published an official fix to address this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows unauthorized physical attackers to bypass security features by exploiting improperly removed sensitive information. The impact is limited to confidentiality (high impact on confidentiality), with no direct impact on integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft to remediate this vulnerability. Users and administrators should apply the security update provided by Microsoft as detailed in the vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20928. Since this is not a cloud service, remediation requires patching the affected Windows 10 Version 1607 systems.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2025-12-04T20:04:16.336Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20928","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 69de7a1482d89c981fd6a5e3
Added to database: 4/14/2026, 5:32:04 PM
Last enriched: 4/14/2026, 7:33:38 PM
Last updated: 4/15/2026, 5:09:22 AM
Views: 4
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