CVE-2026-32074
Published: 14 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-32074 is a high-severity Double Free (CWE-415) 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 15.2th 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
Timely flaw remediation through vendor patches directly eliminates the double free vulnerability in Windows Projected File System.
Implements memory protections designed to minimize the effects of memory-related flaws such as double free vulnerabilities.
Enforces least privilege to restrict low-privileged local attackers from gaining higher access even if the double free is exploited.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Local double-free memory corruption in a Windows kernel-mode component (Projected File System) directly enables exploitation for privilege escalation from low-privileged context.
NVD Description
Double free in Windows Projected File System allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-32074 is a double free vulnerability (CWE-415) in the Windows Projected File System. This flaw affects Windows systems that utilize the Projected File System component, as disclosed by Microsoft on April 14, 2026. The vulnerability has 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 complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to elevate privileges on the affected system, potentially gaining higher-level access to resources and enabling further compromise.
The Microsoft Security Response Center provides an update guide for this vulnerability at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32074, which details available patches and mitigation recommendations.
Details
- CWE(s)