Windows NTFS: Local privilege escalation due to uninitialized resource
Summary
A flaw in the Windows NTFS file system (CWE-908, use of uninitialized resource) allows an authorized local user to elevate privileges. The CVSS vector rates the impact as high for confidentiality, integrity and availability. An attacker needs an existing local account, so the risk is mainly after initial access, for example on multi-user servers, terminal servers or shared workstations.
Affected
- Windows 10 Version 1607 (below 10.0.14393.9688)
- Windows 10 Version 1809 (below 10.0.17763.9487)
- Windows 10 Version 21H2 (below 10.0.19044.7846)
- Windows 10 Version 22H2 (below 10.0.19045.7846)
- Windows 11 Version 23H2 (below 10.0.22631.7711)
- Windows 11 Version 24H2 (below 10.0.26100.9974)
- Windows 11 Version 25H2 (below 10.0.26200.9974)
- Windows 11 Version 26H1 (below 10.0.28000.3501)
- Windows 11 Version 26H2 (below 10.0.26300.9974)
- Windows Server 2016, including Server Core (below 10.0.14393.9688)
- Windows Server 2019, including Server Core (below 10.0.17763.9487)
- Windows Server 2022 (below 10.0.20348.5870)
Fixed in
- Fixed in builds 10.0.14393.9688, 10.0.17763.9487, 10.0.19044.7846, 10.0.19045.7846, 10.0.22631.7711, 10.0.26100.9974, 10.0.26200.9974, 10.0.28000.3501, 10.0.26300.9974 and 10.0.20348.5870 or later, depending on the version.
- Cumulative update KB numbers: Unknown. Please check the MSRC advisory.
Workaround
Unknown. No vendor workaround found; apply the security update.
Exploitation
- No evidence of in-the-wild exploitation found.
- No public proof of concept found.
- CVSS temporal metrics: Exploit Code Maturity Unproven (E:U).
- CISA SSVC: Exploitation none, Automatable no, Technical Impact total.
- EPSS score: Unknown.
Our recommendation
- Install the November 2026 Windows security update on all affected systems, prioritising servers, terminal/RDS servers, file servers and multi-user workstations.
- Verify the installed build number against the fixed builds listed above.
- Limit interactive and remote logon rights to necessary accounts and review local accounts.
- Monitor for unusual privilege changes or new administrative accounts after the update.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
- Severity (Microsoft)
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of privilege – Windows NTFS
- 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, KB5131096, KB5131090, KB5131087, KB5132061
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Microsoft Security Update Guide: CVE-2026-119933 msrc.microsoft.com
- CVE.org CVE Record: CVE-2026-119933 www.cve.org
- Strix.ai: CVE-2026-119933 (secondary, unverified) www.strix.ai
- Qualys: Microsoft Patch Tuesday November 2026 review blog.qualys.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, 03:38.
Original description (NVD)
Use of uninitialized resource in Windows NTFS 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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