Quick answers
- Is CVE-2026-72988 exploited in the wild?
- No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-72988 being exploited in the wild.
- How severe is CVE-2026-72988?
- High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 8 September 2026.
- Which products and versions are affected?
- Microsoft Windows Biometric Service <UNKNOWN>.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-72988?
- No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
- How is CVE-2026-72988 attacked?
- It is attacked with local access.
- Am I affected by CVE-2026-72988?
- Check whether you run Microsoft Windows Biometric Service at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.
Technical details
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Windows Biometric Service, allowing an authenticated local attacker to overflow a heap buffer and achieve privilege escalation. The vulnerability requires local access and pre-existing credentials on the target system. An attacker exploiting this flaw can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially gaining SYSTEM-level access. A patch has been released by Microsoft and should be applied through Windows Update.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows Biometric Service <UNKNOWN>
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed