Executive brief
Windows Hello is Microsoft's biometric authentication system used to secure user access to Windows devices. A double-free memory vulnerability in this component allows an authorized local user to execute code with elevated system privileges, potentially compromising the entire device and accessing all user data.
Technical details
A double-free vulnerability exists in Windows Hello's memory management, allowing an authorized attacker with local system access to exploit a use-after-free condition. The vulnerability requires the attacker to already have authenticated access to the device. By triggering the double-free condition, an attacker can corrupt the heap and execute arbitrary code in the context of the Windows Hello service, achieving local privilege escalation from user to system level. Microsoft has released patches to address this issue.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows Hello
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed