Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-50436

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows 11 26H1 ≤ 10.0.28000.2269

Memory Safety
Published
14 July 2026
Modified
22 July 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
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:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.018 76th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-50436 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 26H1. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 24% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CWE(s)
CWE-416

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.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

Local kernel use-after-free directly enables exploitation for privilege escalation (T1068) by an authorized local attacker.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-50392Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-25167Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50353Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-58602Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-58544Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50323Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-49162Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50466Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50674Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2
CVE-2026-50340Same product: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 11 24h2
≤ 10.0.26100.8875
microsoft
windows 11 25h2
≤ 10.0.26200.8875
microsoft
windows 11 26h1
≤ 10.0.28000.2269 · ≤ 10.0.28000.2525
microsoft
windows server 2025
≤ 10.0.26100.33158

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-16 Memory Protection good match
prevent

Directly implements memory protections that block exploitation of use-after-free conditions in kernel memory.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Requires timely remediation of the identified kernel flaw before an authorized local attacker can trigger the UAF.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match
prevent

Enforces least privilege on user accounts so that even a successful local UAF yields only limited additional rights.

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 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly incorporate memory-safety tooling and reviews that prevent most use-after-free defects.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover use-after-free issues via scanning or analysis but do not prevent their introduction.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching removes known use-after-free instances after they have been introduced in released software.

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
detects

Security testing in development can detect use-after-free bugs before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates memory-safety practices that reduce use-after-free defects.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify memory-management rules that mitigate use-after-free.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety design choices that limit use-after-free exposure.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe avoidance of use-after-free patterns.

A.8.32 Change management partial match
prevents

Change-management processes help ensure memory-safety fixes are deployed consistently.

References