Executive brief
Windows NTFS, the file system used by Windows operating systems, contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that allows an authorized attacker to escalate their privileges on a local system. An attacker who already has user-level access to a Windows machine can exploit this flaw to gain elevated administrative permissions, potentially enabling them to install malware, access sensitive data, or compromise the entire system.
Technical details
This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read in the Windows NTFS file system driver. The flaw allows an authenticated local attacker to read memory outside the bounds of an allocated buffer, which can be leveraged for privilege escalation. The attack requires local access to the system and authenticated user privileges to trigger the vulnerable code path. A successful exploit would allow an attacker to elevate their privileges to SYSTEM or Administrator level. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows <UNKNOWN>
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed