Description
Use after free in Microsoft Printer Drivers allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Published: 2026-07-14
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

The flaw is a use‑after‑free in Microsoft printer driver code that can be triggered by an authorized user on the local machine. When the vulnerable driver frees an object and then accesses it again, an attacker can overwrite data and execute arbitrary instructions with the privileges of the user process. As a result, the local user can gain higher privileges or otherwise execute code at a level they did not originally possess.

Affected Systems

Affected are Microsoft Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 (x64) and Microsoft Windows Server 2025, including Server Core installations. The vulnerability applies to the default printer driver components shipped with those operating system releases.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS base score is 7.8, indicating a high severity, while the EPSS score is less than 1%, suggesting a very low likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability is not yet listed in the CISA KEV catalog. It is a local privilege escalation vector requiring the attacker to be an authenticated user on the target system. Based on the description, it is inferred that a typical attack path may involve manipulating a print job or loading malicious content to trigger the use‑after‑free run code with the same or higher rights as the user, potentially compromising the system.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 09:45 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the security update released by Microsoft for CVE‑2026‑49166 as soon as possible; the update is available via Windows Update or the Microsoft Security Update Guide.
  • Ensure that all installed printer drivers are updated to the latest secured versions provided by Microsoft.
  • Restrict user accounts that are allowed to install or interact with printer drivers; consider disabling unnecessary printer services or removing unused drivers.
  • Run regular system scans with Windows Defender or another endpoint protection platform to detect any related suspicious activity.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 09:45 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Use after free in Microsoft Printer Drivers allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Title Windows Print Configuration Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
First Time appeared Microsoft
Microsoft windows 11 24h2
Microsoft windows 11 25h2
Microsoft windows 11 26h1
Microsoft windows Server 2025
Weaknesses CWE-416
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_24H2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_25H2:*:*:*:*:*:*:arm64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_26H1:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Microsoft
Microsoft windows 11 24h2
Microsoft windows 11 25h2
Microsoft windows 11 26h1
Microsoft windows Server 2025
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, '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'}


Subscriptions

Microsoft Windows 11 24h2 Windows 11 25h2 Windows 11 26h1 Windows Server 2025
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: microsoft

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-03T22:52:55.403Z

Reserved: 2026-05-27T23:44:09.622Z

Link: CVE-2026-49166

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-07-14T17:58:25.771Z

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-07-31T10:00:05Z

Weaknesses