CVE-2026-25174
Published: 10 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-25174 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 17.6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly requires timely remediation of known flaws such as this out-of-bounds read vulnerability via patching as provided by Microsoft.
Implements memory safeguards like address space layout randomization and data execution prevention to protect against out-of-bounds read exploits leading to privilege escalation.
Enforces least privilege to limit the scope and impact of local privilege escalation from low-privileged accounts.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Out-of-bounds read in Windows file allocation component directly enables local privilege escalation from low-privileged context (AV:L/PR:L) to full system access, matching T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.
NVD Description
Out-of-bounds read in Windows Extensible File Allocation allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-25174 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability, classified under CWE-125, affecting the Windows Extensible File Allocation component. Published on 2026-03-10T18:18:32.200, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The flaw enables an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally on vulnerable Windows systems.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability through low-complexity techniques requiring no user interaction. Successful exploitation results in high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, allowing the attacker to escalate from a low-privileged account to higher privileges.
Microsoft's Security Response Center provides details on mitigation in its update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-25174. Security practitioners should review this advisory for applicable patches and recommended actions.
Details
- CWE(s)