CVE-2026-33101
Published: 14 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-33101 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 24H2. 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 CM-7 (Least Functionality) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Requires timely patching of the specific use-after-free vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler components to eliminate the privilege escalation risk.
Minimizes system functionality by disabling unnecessary Print Spooler services, directly removing the vulnerable attack surface for local privilege escalation.
Implements memory safeguards such as ASLR and DEP to hinder exploitation of the use-after-free vulnerability even if unpatched.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Use-after-free in Print Spooler enables local low-priv code execution leading to SYSTEM-level privilege escalation, matching T1068 directly.
NVD Description
Use after free in Windows Print Spooler Components allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-33101 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in Windows Print Spooler Components. It affects Windows systems and was published on 2026-04-14T18:17:32.797 with 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).
The vulnerability can be exploited by an authorized local attacker with low privileges. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to elevate privileges on the affected system, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability with high impact.
Microsoft's update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-33101 provides details on mitigation and patching for this vulnerability.
Details
- CWE(s)