Microsoft Windows Audio Service: Use after free allows local privilege escalation
Summary
A use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in the Windows Audio Service allows an authorized, low-privileged user to elevate privileges to a higher level on the local system. The attacker needs an existing local session and a low-privileged account, and the attack complexity is high. The affected scope covers Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, 26H2) and Windows Server 2025, including Server Core.
Affected
- Windows 11 version 23H2: 10.0.22631.0 to before 10.0.22631.7711
- Windows 11 version 24H2: 10.0.26100.0 to before 10.0.26100.9974
- Windows 11 version 25H2: 10.0.26200.0 to before 10.0.26200.9974
- Windows 11 version 26H1: 10.0.28000.0 to before 10.0.28000.3501
- Windows 11 version 26H2: 10.0.26300.0 to before 10.0.26300.9974
- Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core): 10.0.26100.0 to before 10.0.26100.33822
- Windows 10 and older Server versions: Unknown. Check the MSRC advisory.
Fixed in
- Install the November 2026 cumulative update for each affected branch.
- Fixed builds per the CVE record: 10.0.22631.7711, 10.0.26100.9974, 10.0.26200.9974, 10.0.28000.3501, 10.0.26300.9974, 10.0.26100.33822 (Server 2025).
- A third-party source names KB5132061 as the 24H2 update of 2026-11-10. This has not been confirmed. Verify the KB in the MSRC advisory.
Workaround
Unknown. No workaround is documented in the sources. Apply the update.
- Limit local accounts and remove unneeded administrator rights to reduce the impact of a low-privileged foothold.
Exploitation
- No public proof-of-concept exploit found.
- Exploitation in the wild: not confirmed for this CVE. The CVE record shows exploit code maturity as Unproven (E:U).
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
Our recommendation
- Deploy the November 2026 cumulative update to all Windows clients and servers.
- Prioritize multi-user systems, Remote Desktop/terminal servers and file servers.
- Verify the exact KB and build per branch in the MSRC advisory before rollout.
- Restrict local accounts and admin rights and monitor for unexpected privilege changes.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-119895 www.cve.org
- MSRC Security Update Guide CVE-2026-119895 msrc.microsoft.com
- Strix AI CVE-2026-119895 (third party) www.strix.ai
- Rapid7 Patch Tuesday November 2026 www.rapid7.com
- Senserva KB5132061 (third party, unverified) 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, 08:32.
Original description (NVD)
Use after free in Windows Audio Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
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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