VulnerabilityPublished 10 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-96985: Microsoft Windows Server 2016 · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects Microsoft Windows Server 2016Source CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.9 Medium : upgrade to 10.0.14393.9688 when convenient.

Data as of 10 Nov 2026, 18:36 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CNA (microsoft)	CVSS 3.1	4.9

Patch: Available – fixed in 10.0.14393.9688, 10.0.17763.9487, 10.0.20348.5870 +1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Temporal metrics

Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven: No exploit code is available, or an exploit is theoretical.
Remediation Level: Official Fix: A complete vendor solution is available. Either the vendor has issued an official patch, or an upgrade is available.
Report Confidence: Confirmed: Detailed reports exist, or functional reproduction is possible (functional exploits may provide this). Source code is available to independently verify the assertions of the research, or the author or vendor of the affected code has confirmed the presence of the vulnerability.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 10 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
MicrosoftWindows Server 2016	Affected >=10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9688	Fixed in 10.0.14393.9688
MicrosoftWindows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)	Affected >=10.0.14393.0 <10.0.14393.9688	Fixed in 10.0.14393.9688
MicrosoftWindows Server 2019	Affected >=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9487	Fixed in 10.0.17763.9487
MicrosoftWindows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)	Affected >=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.9487	Fixed in 10.0.17763.9487
MicrosoftWindows Server 2022	Affected >=10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5870	Fixed in 10.0.20348.5870
MicrosoftWindows Server 2025	Affected >=10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33822	Fixed in 10.0.26100.33822

AI-suggested

An official fix is available from Microsoft and should be applied to affected Windows Server 2016 systems. The fixed versions are 10.0.14393.9688, 10.0.17763.9487, 10.0.20348.5870, and 10.0.26100.33822 or later. Administrators should follow the Microsoft security update guide to deploy these patches promptly. No additional mitigation actions are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

CVE-2026-96985 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Windows DNS component of Microsoft Windows Server 2016. It allows an authorized attacker with high privileges to disclose information over a network. The vulnerability affects specific builds of Windows Server 2016 prior to certain fixed versions. A patch is available from Microsoft to address this issue.

Impact

The vulnerability allows an authorized attacker with high privileges to read memory outside the intended bounds in the Windows DNS service, leading to potential disclosure of sensitive information over the network. There is no impact on system integrity or availability. The medium severity reflects the confidentiality impact without further compromise.

Summary

This vulnerability (CWE-125) involves an out-of-bounds read in the Windows DNS service on Windows Server 2016. An attacker with authorized access and high privileges can exploit this flaw to disclose sensitive information remotely over the network. The issue is fixed in Windows Server 2016 builds 10.0.14393.9688, 10.0.17763.9487, 10.0.20348.5870, and 10.0.26100.33822 and later. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.9, indicating a medium severity with a high impact on confidentiality but no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild at this time.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96985 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Nov 2026, 18:36 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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