Microsoft Windows Deployment Services: Path traversal leads to information disclosure
Summary
A relative path traversal flaw (CWE-23) in Windows Deployment Services (WDS) on Windows Server allows an authorized attacker to read information over the network. The attacker needs a valid low-privilege account and network access to the WDS role. The impact is limited to confidentiality; integrity and availability are not affected according to the CVSS vector.
Affected
- Windows Server 2016 and Server 2016 (Server Core): 10.0.14393.0 to before 10.0.14393.9688
- Windows Server 2019 and Server 2019 (Server Core): 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.9487
- Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.0 to before 10.0.20348.5870
- Windows Server 2025 and Server 2025 (Server Core): 10.0.26100.0 to before 10.0.26100.33822 (per the CVE record; not yet confirmed by MSRC)
Fixed in
Security updates with build numbers at or above the versions listed in the affected section, released with the November 2026 Patch Tuesday. KB numbers: Unknown. Verify on the MSRC page.
Workaround
Unknown. No vendor workaround has been identified. Restricting access to the WDS role is a general mitigation, not a vendor-documented one.
Exploitation
- Microsoft/CISA SSVC: exploitation none, not automatable, partial technical impact.
- Rapid7: exploitation less likely, not publicly disclosed.
- No public proof of concept or exploitation in the wild has been identified so far. The CVE was published on 2026-11-10 and NVD analysis is pending.
Our recommendation
- Install the November 2026 security update for all affected Windows Server versions, using the KB listed on the MSRC page or in the Microsoft Update Catalog.
- Remove the WDS role if it is not needed. If it is needed, limit it to the deployment VLAN and do not expose it to the internet.
- Review which accounts can reach WDS, especially on domain controllers and file servers.
- Prioritise critical November 2026 issues, including the WDS remote code execution flaw CVE-2026-119951, over this vulnerability.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
- Severity (Microsoft)
- Important
- Impact
- Information disclosure – Windows Deployment Services
- Status on Patch Tuesday
- Neither exploited nor publicly disclosed
- Exploitability assessment
- Exploitation less likely
- Product family
- Windows, Windows ESU (Extended Security Updates)
- Updates (KB)
- KB5131291, KB5131085, KB5131090, KB5131080, KB5131077
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- MSRC Security Update Guide: CVE-2026-113818 msrc.microsoft.com
- CVE Record: CVE-2026-113818 www.cve.org
- Rapid7: Patch Tuesday November 2026 www.rapid7.com
- Cybersecurity News: Microsoft November 2026 Patch Tuesday cybersecuritynews.com
- Senserva: KB5131090 (secondary source) senserva.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 11 Nov 2026, 12:25.
Original description (NVD)
Relative path traversal in Windows Deployment Services allows an authorized attacker to disclose information over a network.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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