Description
Use after free in Windows Kernel 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

A use‑after‑free flaw in the Windows kernel’s DirectX graphics subsystem allows an attacker who can run code locally to corrupt memory and gain kernel‑mode execution, thereby elevating privileges to system level. This is a classic CWE‑416 problem caused by the improper release of a freed resource, and it gives the attacker full control over the compromised device.

Affected Systems

Microsoft Windows 10 versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2; Microsoft Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, 26H1; Microsoft Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025 (both standard and Server Core installations).

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates high severity, while the EPSS score of less than 1% suggests a low probability of widespread exploitation at present. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, meaning no known large‑scale attacks have been reported. Based on the description, the likely attack vector is local code execution by an authorized or privileged user, who would need to deliver a malicious DirectX workload or trigger a memory corruption scenario to activate the use‑after‑free and achieve elevated privileges.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 06:27 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Install the Microsoft patch for CVE-2026-56643 via Windows Update or the vendor‑supplied installer.
  • Reboot the affected systems to load the updated kernel and ensure the fix is in effect.
  • If a patch cannot be applied immediately, limit DirectX usage and isolate the system; consider restricting privileged accounts until the update is applied.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on July 31, 2026 at 06:27 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

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


Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Use after free in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Title DirectX Graphics Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
First Time appeared Microsoft
Microsoft windows 10 1607
Microsoft windows 10 1809
Microsoft windows 10 21h2
Microsoft windows 10 22h2
Microsoft windows 11 24h2
Microsoft windows 11 25h2
Microsoft windows 11 26h1
Microsoft windows Server 2016
Microsoft windows Server 2019
Microsoft windows Server 2022
Microsoft windows Server 2025
Weaknesses CWE-416
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21H2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22H2:*:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
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_2016:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2022:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Microsoft
Microsoft windows 10 1607
Microsoft windows 10 1809
Microsoft windows 10 21h2
Microsoft windows 10 22h2
Microsoft windows 11 24h2
Microsoft windows 11 25h2
Microsoft windows 11 26h1
Microsoft windows Server 2016
Microsoft windows Server 2019
Microsoft windows Server 2022
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 10 1607 Windows 10 1809 Windows 10 21h2 Windows 10 22h2 Windows 11 24h2 Windows 11 25h2 Windows 11 26h1 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2025
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: microsoft

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-03T22:57:46.661Z

Reserved: 2026-06-22T15:17:38.795Z

Link: CVE-2026-56643

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-07-15T11:10:17.529Z

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-07-31T06:30:18Z

Weaknesses