Executive brief
Windows Credential Guard is a security feature that protects user credentials stored on a Windows system. A double-free memory vulnerability in this component allows an authorized local user to escalate their privileges to a higher level, potentially gaining full control of the affected system.
Technical details
A double-free vulnerability exists in Windows Credential Guard, a memory safety flaw where the same memory region is freed twice, leading to heap corruption. The vulnerability requires local access and authorization to trigger, but permits a local attacker to escalate privileges. The root cause involves improper memory management in the Credential Guard component. Successful exploitation allows privilege escalation to a higher integrity level on the affected system. A security patch from Microsoft is expected to address this issue.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows Credential Guard <UNKNOWN>
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed