Executive brief
A security vulnerability has been identified in the Windows NTFS file system, which is the primary system Windows uses to organize and store files on hard drives. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw could gain the ability to run unauthorized code on a target computer. While the attacker must have local access or trick a user into performing an action, this could lead to a full system compromise, data theft, or service disruption.
Technical details
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) exists in the Microsoft Windows NTFS kernel-mode driver. The flaw is triggered when the system improperly handles specially crafted file system structures. An attacker with local access can exploit this to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, though the attack requires user interaction (UI:R). The vulnerability affects a wide range of Windows client and server versions, including Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2012. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 Versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2
- Microsoft Windows 11 Versions 24H2, 25H2, 26H1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 All versions including Server Core
Timeline
- 2026-07-14: disclosed: Vulnerability published by Microsoft and NVD
- 2026-07-14: patched: Security updates made available via Microsoft Security Update Guide