Quick answers
- Is CVE-2026-83978 exploited in the wild?
- No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-83978 being exploited in the wild.
- How severe is CVE-2026-83978?
- 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-2026-83978?
- 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-2026-83978 attacked?
- It is attacked with local access.
- Am I affected by CVE-2026-83978?
- 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 that can be triggered by an authenticated local attacker. The vulnerability allows an attacker with local system access to overwrite heap memory, leading to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. Attack preconditions require the attacker to be authenticated and have local access to the system. Successful exploitation enables privilege escalation from user-level to system-level access. A patch is expected to be available from Microsoft.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows Biometric Service <UNKNOWN>
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed