Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-20875 is a high-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked in the top 27% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-20875 is a null pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-476) in the Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). Published on 2026-01-13, it affects Windows systems running LSASS, a critical component handling authentication and security policies.
The vulnerability enables an unauthorized attacker to exploit it over a network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and no change in scope (S:U). Successful exploitation results in high-impact denial of service (A:H) with no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), as reflected in its CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5.
Microsoft's Security Response Center provides an update guide for CVE-2026-20875 at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20875, detailing recommended mitigations and patches.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2129
Vulnerability Data
Null pointer dereference in Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) allows an unauthorized attacker to deny service over a network.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including static analysis) directly finds null-dereference bugs before deployment.
Documented development standards and tools can enforce null-safety rules and safe pointer usage.
Engineering principles can mandate defensive coding such as explicit null checks before dereference.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.
Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.
Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.
Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.
Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.