Executive brief
A security vulnerability exists in Windows DirectX, a collection of technologies used by Windows to display images and multimedia. An attacker who already has basic access to a computer could exploit this flaw to gain full administrative control over the system. This could allow them to install programs, view or delete sensitive data, or create new user accounts with full rights.
Technical details
A use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability exists in the Windows DirectX component (CWE-416). The flaw is triggered when the system continues to use a memory pointer after it has been freed, leading to memory corruption. An attacker with local access and low-level privileges can exploit this condition to execute arbitrary code in the context of the kernel or a highly privileged service. This allows for local privilege escalation (LPE) from a standard user to SYSTEM. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 to 10.0.26100.8875
- Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 to 10.0.26200.8875
- Microsoft Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 to 10.0.28000.2269
- Microsoft Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 to 10.0.26100.33158
Timeline
- 2026-07-14: disclosed: Initial publication of CVE-2026-50353 by Microsoft.
- 2026-07-14: patched: Security updates made available via Microsoft MSRC.