CVE-2026-0386
Published: 13 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-0386 is a high-severity Improper Access Control (CWE-284) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation of Remote Services (T1210); ranked at the 22.3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Likely Mitigating ControlsAI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
The access control policy and procedures directly mandate and enforce proper access control mechanisms across the organization.
Device lock enforces restricted access until re-authentication, directly reducing unauthorized use of active sessions.
Supervision and review of access control activities directly detects and remediates improper access configurations or usages.
Explicitly identifying and documenting actions permitted without identification or authentication enforces proper access control boundaries by defining justified exceptions.
By automatically labeling outputs with security attributes, the control supports attribute-based enforcement and reduces exploitability of improper access control weaknesses.
Associating and retaining security attributes with data directly supports enforcement of access control decisions across storage, processing, and transmission.
Requiring prior authorization for each remote access type prevents improper access control over remote connections.
Requiring authorization of wireless access before allowing connections enforces proper access control for this access method.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Improper access control in Windows Deployment Services directly enables remote code execution via exploitation of the remote service over an adjacent network.
NVD Description
Improper access control in Windows Deployment Services allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over an adjacent network.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-0386 is an improper access control vulnerability in Windows Deployment Services. Published on 2026-01-13T18:16:06.440, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-284. The issue enables an unauthorized attacker to execute code over an adjacent network due to flawed access controls in the affected component.
Attackers on an adjacent network can exploit this vulnerability without requiring user privileges or interaction, though exploitation demands high complexity. No authentication is needed, and successful attacks allow arbitrary code execution, leading to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the unchanged scope.
Microsoft provides detailed guidance on patches and mitigations in its update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-0386.
Details
- CWE(s)