Microsoft Windows VMSwitch: Local privilege escalation via out-of-bounds read
Summary
A out-of-bounds read in the Windows VMSwitch component (Hyper-V virtual switch) allows an authorized local attacker to elevate privileges. The CVSS vector requires high privileges and high attack complexity, so an attacker must already have a foothold on the system. The main risk is on Hyper-V hosts where several tenants, VMs or workloads share one host.
Affected
- Windows 10 Version 1809 (10.0.17763.0 before 10.0.17763.9487)
- Windows 10 Version 21H2 (10.0.19044.0 before 10.0.19044.7846)
- Windows 10 Version 22H2 (10.0.19045.0 before 10.0.19045.7846)
- Windows 11 Version 23H2 (10.0.22631.0 before 10.0.22631.7711)
- Windows 11 Version 24H2 (10.0.26100.0 before 10.0.26100.9974)
- Windows 11 Version 25H2 (10.0.26200.0 before 10.0.26200.9974)
- Windows 11 Version 26H1 (10.0.28000.0 before 10.0.28000.3501)
- Windows 11 Version 26H2 (10.0.26300.0 before 10.0.26300.9974)
- Windows Server 2019 incl. Server Core (10.0.17763.0 before 10.0.17763.9487)
- Windows Server 2022 (10.0.20348.0 before 10.0.20348.5870)
- Windows Server 2025 incl. Server Core (10.0.26100.0 before 10.0.26100.33822)
Fixed in
- Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.9487
- Windows 10 21H2: 10.0.19044.7846
- Windows 10 22H2: 10.0.19045.7846
- Other products: first fixed builds as stated in the CNA affected ranges above (not yet confirmed on the MSRC page)
Workaround
- No vendor-published workaround found. Unknown until the MSRC advisory is checked.
Exploitation
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild on record. Not listed in CISA KEV at the time of research.
- CVSS exploit code maturity is 'unproven' (E:U).
- No public proof-of-concept found.
Our recommendation
- Inventory Hyper-V hosts and confirm their build numbers.
- Check the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory before testing.
- Patch Hyper-V hosts in the next regular window, with priority on multi-tenant hosts and on Server 2019 or Windows 10 1809 systems.
- Verify the support status of Windows 10 1809 and plan upgrades if it is out of support.
- Recheck NVD and CISA KEV in the coming days for changes.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
- Severity (Microsoft)
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of privilege – Windows VMSwitch
- Status on Patch Tuesday
- Neither exploited nor publicly disclosed
- Exploitability assessment
- Exploitation less likely
- Product family
- Windows, Windows ESU (Extended Security Updates)
- Updates (KB)
- KB5131085, KB5131096, KB5131090, KB5131087, KB5132061, KB5132043
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Microsoft Security Update Guide: CVE-2026-97002 msrc.microsoft.com
- CVE Record CVE-2026-97002 www.cve.org
- OffSeq Radar: CVE-2026-97002 radar.offseq.com
- Strix: CVE-2026-97002 (third-party, unverified) www.strix.ai
- Rapid7: November 2026 Patch Tuesday summary www.rapid7.com
- Patch Tuesday news summary, November 2026 www.newsbeep.com
- Strobes: Top CVEs July 2026 (context) strobes.co
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, 05:01.
Original description (NVD)
Out-of-bounds read in Windows VMSwitch 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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