Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-32223

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows 11 24H2 ≤ 10.0.26100.8246

Published
14 April 2026
Modified
25 July 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0052 41th percentile
Risk Priority 45 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-32223 is a medium-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 24H2. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 41th 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 PE-3 (Physical Access Control) and SC-41 (Port and I/O Device Access) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows USB Print Driver allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
Why these techniques?

Heap buffer overflow in USB print driver directly enables local/kernel privilege escalation via physical USB vector, matching T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-50679Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50327Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-32221Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-24283Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-58542Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-42896Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50336Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-47652Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-49175Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-20876Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2

Affected Assets

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 2025
≤ 10.0.26100.32690

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • PE-3 Physical Access Control
  • SC-41 Port and I/O Device Access
  • MP-7 Media Use
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly blocks the physical USB connection required to trigger the heap overflow in the print driver.

prevent

Restricts access to USB I/O ports, preventing attachment of an unauthorized device that could exploit the driver vulnerability.

MP-7 Media Use partial match
prevent

Limits or prohibits use of USB storage/print devices, reducing the attack surface for physical buffer-overflow exploits.

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 full match
prevents

Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.

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 and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe techniques (safe functions, bounds checks) that prevent heap-based buffer overflows.

none

Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.

References