CVE-2026-96304: 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 (CWE-416) involves a use-after-free condition in the Windows USB Print Driver on Windows 10 Version 21H2 and several other related versions. An authorized local attacker can exploit this flaw to elevate privileges on the affected system. The vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2026-96304 and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0, indicating high severity. Microsoft has released an official fix to address this issue.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authorized local attacker to elevate privileges, potentially gaining higher-level access on the affected Windows 10 systems. This could lead to full system compromise depending on the privileges escalated to.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users and administrators should apply the security updates provided by Microsoft for Windows 10 Version 21H2 and the related affected builds as soon as possible. Refer to the Microsoft security update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96304 for detailed patch information and deployment instructions.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-22T22:31:49.522Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96304","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6ace85772cdf04f656a00475
Added to database: 10/13/2026, 19:24:39 UTC
Last enriched: 10/14/2026, 00:33:27 UTC
Last updated: 10/14/2026, 04:04:33 UTC
Views: 2
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