CVE-2026-96235: Microsoft .NET WPF heap out-of-bounds access in pixel-shader parsing

CVE-2026-96235 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-10-13

A vulnerability in Microsoft .NET's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) graphics library allows an attacker to craft malicious pixel-shader code that triggers memory corruption. When a user opens a .NET desktop application that processes this malicious shader, an attacker can execute arbitrary code on the system or crash the application.

Technologies: Microsoft .Net, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 (NuGet), Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x64 (NuGet), Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x86 (NuGet). Vendors: Microsoft, NuGet.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-96235 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96235 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-96235?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 13 October 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Microsoft .Net 8.0.0 through 8.0.31, 9.0.0 through 9.0.20, 10.0.0 through 10.0.12, 11.0.0-preview.1 through 11.0.0-rc.1; Microsoft Visual Studio versions that bundle affected .NET SDKs; Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 (NuGet) >= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.31, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=8.0.0,fixed=8.0.32; Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x64 (NuGet) >= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.31, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=8.0.0,fixed=8.0.32; and 1 more.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-96235?
Yes. Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later; Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x64 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later; Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x86 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-96235 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-96235?
Check whether you run Microsoft .Net, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 (NuGet) or one of the others listed 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.

How to fix

  • Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later
    dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-arm64 --version 8.0.32
  • Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x64 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later
    dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x64 --version 8.0.32
  • Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x86 (NuGet): upgrade to 8.0.32 or later
    dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.Runtime.win-x86 --version 8.0.32

Technical details

Crafted WPF pixel-shader bytecode causes desynchronization between two parsing passes in CPSTrans::Initialize, resulting in heap out-of-bounds writes or reads. The vulnerability requires user interaction to open a malicious file or content, is triggered over the network, and affects all Windows architectures running affected .NET versions 8.0 through 11.0-rc.1.

Affected products

  • Microsoft .NET 8.0.0 through 8.0.31, 9.0.0 through 9.0.20, 10.0.0 through 10.0.12, 11.0.0-preview.1 through 11.0.0-rc.1
  • Microsoft Visual Studio versions that bundle affected .NET SDKs

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-96235
  • GHSA-g44w-h65v-4cw9

Timeline

  • 2026-10-13: disclosed

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