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CVE-2026-105520: Windows DNS Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

CVE-2026-105520 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows DNS, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 (High). An attacker can exploit it remotely over the network, with high privileges and without user interaction. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as less likely. Microsoft released the fix on 10 November 2026 in the November 2026 Patch Tuesday, delivered through 5 security updates (KB5131291, KB5131085, KB5131090, KB5131080 and more). It affects 8 products in 2 product families (ESU, Windows).

Key facts

CVE ID
CVE-2026-105520
Severity
High CVSS 7.2
Microsoft severity
Important
Impact
Elevation of Privilege
Exploited in the wild
No
Publicly disclosed
No
Exploitation likelihood
Less Likely
Weakness
CWE-59
CISA KEV
Not listed
Released
Last updated
Patch Tuesday
November 2026 Patch Tuesday
Product families
ESU, Windows

CVSS score and vector

Microsoft scores CVE-2026-105520 at 7.2 (temporal 6.3) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

MetricValue
Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredHigh
User interactionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Confidentiality impactHigh
Integrity impactHigh
Availability impactHigh
Exploit code maturityUnproven
Remediation levelOfficial fix
Report confidenceConfirmed

Description

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows DNS allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)

What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability?

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain SYSTEM privileges.

Affected products (8)

ESU

ProductSecurity updateTypeFixed buildRestart
Windows Server 2016KB5131291Security Update10.0.14393.9688Yes
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)KB5131291Security Update10.0.14393.9688Yes

Windows

ProductSecurity updateTypeFixed buildRestart
Windows Server 2019KB5131085Security Update10.0.17763.9487Yes
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)KB5131085Security Update10.0.17763.9487Yes
Windows Server 2022KB5131090Security Update10.0.20348.5870Yes
Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation)KB5131090Security Update10.0.20348.5870Yes
Windows Server 2025KB5131080
KB5131077		Security Update
Security Hotpatch Update		10.0.26100.33822
10.0.26100.33730		Yes
No
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)KB5131080
KB5131077		Security Update
Security Hotpatch Update		10.0.26100.33822
10.0.26100.33730		Yes
No

Security updates (5)

NIST NVD data

NVD status
Awaiting Analysis
NVD CVSS
7.2 (HIGH)
NVD weakness
CWE-59
Published to NVD
NVD last modified

References

Acknowledgments

  • Rutuja Shirali

Revision history

VersionDateDescription
1.0Information published.

Sources