Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-32212

LPE in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2 ≤ 10.0.19044.7184

Published
14 April 2026
Modified
20 April 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.5
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:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0031 23th percentile
Risk Priority 35 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-32212 is a medium-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked at the 23th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Universal Plug and Play (upnp.dll) 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?

Local symlink/link-following flaw directly enables unauthorized local file reads, facilitating data collection from the local system.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-49180Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-49176Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-25187Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-42989Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-21533Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-45586Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2025-59510Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2025-59514Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-49791Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607
CVE-2026-50391Same 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 2012
all versions, r2
microsoft
windows server 2016
≤ 10.0.14393.9060
+4 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 5 hardening rules · 5 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V15.4.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces correct file access decisions and blocks unauthorized disclosure that results from improper symlink resolution in upnp.dll.

prevent

Requires validation and canonicalization of file paths and links before access, directly addressing the CWE-59 flaw.

prevent

Limits process privileges so an authorized local attacker cannot reach files outside the intended scope via link following.

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.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

PR.AA-05 enforces least privilege/SoD and periodic reviews that directly remove most privilege-assignment defects, yet CWE-269 also covers escalation paths and role design outside a single access-management control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

PR.AA-01 supplies credential/identity lifecycle support that can reduce some privilege-assignment errors but does not itself assign, modify, or check privileges, leaving most of CWE-269's risk unaddressed.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Config baselines and default reviews can enforce some privilege-related settings (one facet) but do not address code-level assignment/tracking logic that defines CWE-269.

PR.PS-05 partial match
prevents

PR.PS-05 can partially limit exploitability of some privilege issues via execution restrictions, but does not address the core design/implementation flaws of CWE-269 at all.

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects data-in-use without touching privilege assignment/tracking, so it neither prevents CWE-269 nor removes more than one narrow facet of its risk.

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.

prevents

Requiring owner approval, segregation of duties, and periodic reviews prevents the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges to users or processes.

prevents

Enforcing minimum-necessary privileges, temporary grants, and separation of administrative versus normal identities prevents the over-assignment of rights that CWE-269 describes.

detects

Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.

prevents

Dynamic techniques that grant the minimum necessary rights for a given time window and revoke them afterward reduce the window in which excessive or unnecessary privileges can be exploited.

prevents

Explicit restrictions on privileged access and segregation of duties limit the scope of privileges that can be assigned, reducing the chance that excessive or unnecessary privileges are granted to entities.

prevents

Defining and communicating authorization levels for each role limits the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges.

References