Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-57968

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows Subsystem For Linux ≤ 2.7.8

Published
14 July 2026
Modified
20 July 2026
Patch / 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 0.0031 23th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-57968 is a high-severity Buffer Over-read (CWE-126) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Subsystem For Linux. 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 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-6 (Least Privilege) and SI-16 (Memory Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Buffer over-read in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

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?

Buffer over-read in WSL directly enables local privilege escalation by an authorized attacker.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-21271Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2025-60720Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2025-62464Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2025-62462Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2026-26184Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2025-62461Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2025-62467Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2026-50435Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2026-50402Same vendor: Microsoft
CVE-2026-50372Same vendor: Microsoft

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows subsystem for linux
≤ 2.7.8

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-16 Memory Protection
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly implements memory protections that block buffer over-read exploitation in WSL.

prevent

Enforces least privilege so an authorized local attacker cannot escalate via the over-read.

prevent

Requires input validation that would have prevented the unchecked buffer access causing the over-read.

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 development practices directly prevent introduction of buffer over-read weaknesses.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover buffer over-read flaws via scanning or review.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software removes known instances of buffer over-read bugs.

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 can detect buffer over-reads before release.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and bounds checking that can prevent buffer over-reads.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify buffer-size and bounds-checking rules.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety and bounds-checking design choices.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly require bounds-checked buffer access, mitigating over-reads.

References