CVE-2026-26184
Published: 14 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-26184 is a high-severity Buffer Over-read (CWE-126) 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 18.0th 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).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-26184 is a buffer over-read vulnerability, classified under CWE-126, in the Windows Projected File System component of Microsoft Windows operating systems. Published on 2026-04-14T18:16:55.440, 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), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact.
A local attacker with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this vulnerability with low attack complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation allows privilege escalation on the affected system, granting high-level access that compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Microsoft's Security Response Center advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-26184 provides guidance on updates and mitigation for this vulnerability.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-22430
Vulnerability details
Buffer over-read in Windows Projected File System allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Buffer over-read in Windows Projected File System component directly enables local privilege escalation from low-privileged context with no user interaction, matching T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly remediates the buffer over-read vulnerability in Windows Projected File System through timely application of vendor security patches as advised by Microsoft.
Implements memory protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention that defend against exploitation of buffer over-reads for privilege escalation.
Enforces least privilege for local low-privilege accounts, limiting the attack surface and potential impact of successful privilege escalation via the ProjFS vulnerability.