CVE-2026-85855: CWE-416: Use After Free in Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2
Description
CVE-2026-85855 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Windows DWM Core Library affecting Windows 11 Version 24H2. It allows an authorized local attacker to elevate privileges. The vulnerability has a high severity score of 7.0 and has been officially fixed by Microsoft. No known exploits are reported in the wild.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.0high
Affected software
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 24H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 25H2
Microsoft
Windows 11 version 26H1
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 26H2
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-85855) involves a use-after-free condition in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library on Windows 11 Version 24H2. An authorized attacker with local access can exploit this flaw to elevate their privileges on the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.0, indicating high severity, with attack vector local, high attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Microsoft has released an official fix for this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authorized local attacker to elevate privileges, potentially gaining higher system rights than initially granted. This can lead to full system compromise depending on the elevated privileges obtained. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system.
Mitigation Recommendations
Microsoft has released an official fix for this vulnerability. Users and administrators should apply the security update provided by Microsoft to affected Windows 11 Version 24H2 systems to remediate this issue. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-04T18:15:10.738Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85855","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6ace85462cdf04f6569fec4d
Added to database: 10/13/2026, 19:23:50 UTC
Last enriched: 10/14/2026, 03:04:58 UTC
Last updated: 10/14/2026, 03:04:58 UTC
Views: 2
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