Microsoft Windows PCI Bus Driver: Elevation of privilege via out-of-bounds write
Summary
An out-of-bounds write in the Windows PCI Bus Driver allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges. The attacker needs physical access to the device, and the attack complexity is high. Microsoft rates the flaw Important (CVSS 6.4), and no exploitation has been reported.
Affected
- Windows 10 Version 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2
- Windows 11 Version 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, 26H2
- Windows Server 2016 (including Server Core), 2019 (including Server Core), 2022
- Exact affected builds: see the CVE record and the MSRC advisory
Fixed in
- Fixed in the November 2026 Patch Tuesday security updates
- Fixed builds per CVE record: Windows 10 1607 from 10.0.14393.9688; 1809 from 10.0.17763.9487; 21H2 and 22H2 from 10.0.19044.7846 / 10.0.19045.7846; Windows 11 23H2 from 10.0.22631.7711; 24H2 and 25H2 from 10.0.26100.9974 / 10.0.26200.9974; 26H2 from 10.0.26300.9974; Windows Server 2019 from 10.0.17763.9487; Windows Server 2022 from 10.0.20348.5870
- Some builds differ between third-party sources. Verify exact build numbers in the MSRC advisory.
Workaround
No workaround documented. Patching is the fix.
Exploitation
- Microsoft and CISA SSVC: no exploitation; not automatable
- Rapid7 (November 2026): Exploitation Less Likely, not publicly disclosed
- OffSeq: not known to be exploited
- No public proof of concept or exploitation in the wild found
Our recommendation
- Install the November 2026 Windows security updates on all affected systems, prioritising laptops and shared devices
- Restrict physical access to workstations and servers; lock unattended devices
- Review physical hardware ports and kiosks in public areas
- Patch CVE-2026-96992 (use-after-free in the same component, also Important) together with this flaw
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
- Severity (Microsoft)
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of privilege – Windows PCI Bus Driver
- 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
- MSRC Security Update Guide: CVE-2026-96981 msrc.microsoft.com
- CVE Record CVE-2026-96981 www.cve.org
- CVE List V5 release 2026-11-11 github.com
- Rapid7 Patch Tuesday November 2026 www.rapid7.com
- OffSeq Radar: CVE-2026-96981 radar.offseq.com
- GBHackers: Microsoft November 2026 Patch Tuesday gbhackers.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, 13:47.
Original description (NVD)
Out-of-bounds write in Windows PCI Bus Driver allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges with a physical attack.
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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