CVE-2026-69425: CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') in Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2
Description
CVE-2026-69425 is a medium severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2 involving improper link resolution before file access in NTFS. This flaw allows an authorized local attacker with low privileges to perform tampering by exploiting link following behavior. The vulnerability affects multiple builds of Windows 11 23H2 prior to specific patched versions. An official fix is available from Microsoft.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.7medium
Affected software
Microsoft
Windows 11 version 23H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 23H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 24H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 25H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 version 26H1
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability, identified as CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access), exists in the NTFS file system implementation of Windows 11 version 23H2. It allows an authorized attacker with low privileges to manipulate symbolic links or similar link constructs before the system accesses files, potentially enabling tampering with files locally. The issue affects Windows 11 builds from 10.0.22631.0 up to but not including 10.0.22631.7582, 10.0.26100.0 up to but not including 10.0.26100.9445, 10.0.26200.0 up to but not including 10.0.26200.9445, and 10.0.28000.0 up to but not including 10.0.28000.2954. Microsoft has released an official fix for this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
An authorized local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability to tamper with files by leveraging improper link resolution in NTFS. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or availability but can impact integrity by allowing unauthorized modification of files.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users and administrators should apply the security updates provided by Microsoft for Windows 11 version 23H2 to remediate this vulnerability. No additional mitigation actions are indicated by the vendor advisory.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-03T20:59:32.783Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69425","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6aa044f6acd9273b49fa8031
Added to database: 09/08/2026, 17:25:10 UTC
Last enriched: 10/16/2026, 21:11:40 UTC
Last updated: 10/21/2026, 13:40:31 UTC
Views: 32
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