Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-26169

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2 ≤ 10.0.19044.7184

Published
14 April 2026
Modified
24 April 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.024 82th percentile
Risk Priority 36 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-26169 is a medium-severity Buffer Over-read (CWE-126) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2. Its CVSS base score is 6.1 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked in the top 18% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Buffer over-read in Windows Kernel Memory allows an authorized attacker to disclose information locally.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
Why these techniques?

Buffer over-read in Windows kernel memory directly enables local disclosure of sensitive data from system memory.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-50504Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-50341Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-50475Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-50383Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809
CVE-2026-26155Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-20846Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-26184Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1809
CVE-2025-60720Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2025-59192Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2025-62473Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.9060 · ≤ 10.0.14393.9060
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.8644 · ≤ 10.0.17763.8644
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.7184 · ≤ 10.0.19044.7184 · ≤ 10.0.19044.7184
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.7184 · ≤ 10.0.19045.7184 · ≤ 10.0.19045.7184
microsoft
windows 11 23h2
≤ 10.0.22631.6936 · ≤ 10.0.22631.6936
microsoft
windows 11 24h2
≤ 10.0.26100.8246 · ≤ 10.0.26100.8246
microsoft
windows 11 25h2
≤ 10.0.26200.8246 · ≤ 10.0.26200.8246
microsoft
windows 11 26h1
≤ 10.0.28000.1836 · ≤ 10.0.28000.1836
microsoft
windows server 2016
≤ 10.0.14393.9060
microsoft
windows server 2019
≤ 10.0.17763.8644
+3 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-16 Memory Protection
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • SI-2 Flaw Remediation
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Memory Protection directly mitigates buffer over-read vulnerabilities (CWE-126) in kernel memory by enforcing bounds and isolation on memory accesses.

prevent

Information Input Validation prevents buffer over-reads by ensuring length and offset parameters supplied to kernel routines are properly checked before memory access.

prevent

Flaw Remediation requires timely application of vendor patches that correct the specific kernel buffer over-read condition.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly prevent introduction of buffer over-read weaknesses.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover buffer over-read flaws via scanning or review.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software removes known instances of buffer over-read bugs.

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.

detects

Security testing in development can detect buffer over-reads before release.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and bounds checking that can prevent buffer over-reads.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify buffer-size and bounds-checking rules.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety and bounds-checking design choices.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly require bounds-checked buffer access, mitigating over-reads.

References