CVE-2026-96253: CWE-416: Use After Free in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2
Description
Use after free in Windows USB Print Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.0high
Affected software
Microsoft
Windows 10 Version 21H2
Microsoft
Windows 10 Version 22H2
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
Microsoft
Windows 11 Version 26H2
Microsoft
Windows Server 2022
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-96253) involves a use-after-free condition in the Windows USB Print Driver component of Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 and other specified builds. Exploitation requires local access with authorized privileges and can lead to privilege escalation. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates the attack requires local access with high attack complexity and low privileges but no user interaction. The impact includes high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. Microsoft has published an official fix for this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
An authorized local attacker can exploit this use-after-free vulnerability to elevate privileges on affected Windows 10 systems. This can lead to full system compromise with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users and administrators should apply the security updates provided by Microsoft for the affected Windows 10 versions as detailed in the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96253.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-22T19:05:22.815Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96253","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6ace85752cdf04f656a00465
Added to database: 10/13/2026, 19:24:37 UTC
Last enriched: 10/14/2026, 00:33:44 UTC
Last updated: 10/14/2026, 04:04:33 UTC
Views: 4
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