CVE-2026-95988: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-95988 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Kernel, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). An attacker can exploit it by an attacker with local access, with low privileges and without user interaction. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as more likely. Microsoft released the fix on 10 November 2026 in the November 2026 Patch Tuesday, delivered through 3 security updates (KB5132061, KB5132043, KB5132059). It affects 8 products in 1 product family (Windows).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2026-95988
- Severity
- High CVSS 7.8
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of Privilege
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- More Likely
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- November 2026 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Windows
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2026-95988 at 7.8 (temporal 6.8) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Local |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | Low |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality impact | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Exploit code maturity | Unproven |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Description
Incorrect authorization in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
What privileges could an attacker gain by exploiting this vulnerability?
Successful exploitation could let a local attacker access protected system account resources from a restricted process running with SYSTEM identity.
Affected products (8)
Windows
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5132061 KB5132043 | Security Update Security Update | 10.0.26100.9974 10.0.26100.9911 | Yes No |
| Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5132061 KB5132043 | Security Update Security Update | 10.0.26100.9974 10.0.26100.9911 | Yes No |
| Windows 11 Version 25H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5132043 | Security Update | 10.0.26200.9911 | No |
| Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5132043 | Security Update | 10.0.26200.9911 | No |
| Windows 11 Version 26H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5132043 | Security Update | 10.0.26300.9911 | No |
| Windows 11 Version 26H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5132043 | Security Update | 10.0.26300.9911 | No |
| Windows 11 Version 26H1 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5132059 | Security Update | 10.0.28000.3501 | Yes |
| Windows 11 version 26H1 for x64-based Systems | KB5132059 | Security Update | 10.0.28000.3501 | Yes |
Security updates (3)
Acknowledgments
- yhw
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |