Executive brief
A critical vulnerability exists in the Windows networking component (TCP/IP) that handles how computers communicate over a network. An attacker could exploit this flaw to remotely run unauthorized code on a target system without any user interaction. This could lead to a complete system takeover, data theft, or significant operational disruption across affected Windows and Windows Server versions.
Technical details
A race condition (CWE-362) exists in the Windows TCP/IP stack due to improper synchronization when concurrent executions access a shared resource. The vulnerability is reachable over the network and does not require user interaction or elevated privileges, though the attack complexity is rated as high, likely due to the precise timing required to win the race condition. Successful exploitation allows for remote code execution (RCE) in the context of the system. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue across supported versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2
- Microsoft Windows 11 22H3, 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 and Gold
Timeline
- 2026-04-14: advisory: Initial disclosure by Microsoft and NVD
- 2026-04-14: patched: Security updates made available by Microsoft