CVE-2026-25167
Published: 10 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-25167 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 24H2. Its CVSS base score is 7.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 13.6th 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.
Use-after-free exploits that achieve arbitrary code execution are blocked or significantly hardened by non-executable pages and ASLR.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Use-after-free in local Windows system component directly enables local exploitation for privilege escalation to arbitrary code execution with elevated rights (matches T1068 description and prerequisites: AV:L, PR:N, UI:N).
NVD Description
Use after free in Microsoft Brokering File System allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-25167 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in the Microsoft Brokering File System, published on 2026-03-10. It affects Windows systems utilizing this component for file system brokering operations. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high impact potential despite requiring local access and high attack complexity.
A local unauthorized attacker (PR:N) can exploit this flaw without user interaction (UI:N) by triggering the use-after-free condition in the Brokering File System. Successful exploitation enables privilege escalation, granting high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts (C:H/I:H/A:H) within the local scope (S:U), potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
Microsoft's Security Response Center provides guidance on mitigation via its update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-25167, where security practitioners can find details on available patches and remediation steps.
Details
- CWE(s)