CVE-2026-96218

MEDIUM

Published Oct 13, 2026 Modified Oct 16, 2026 CWE-15

Description

Improper access control in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0057

Probability of exploitation

0.46%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-15 CWE-15

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
microsoft	windows_10_1809	< 10.0.17763.9376
microsoft	windows_10_1809	< 10.0.17763.9376
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	< 10.0.19044.7807
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	< 10.0.19044.7807
microsoft	windows_10_21h2	< 10.0.19044.7807
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	< 10.0.19045.7807
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	< 10.0.19045.7807
microsoft	windows_10_22h2	< 10.0.19045.7807
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	< 10.0.22631.7652
microsoft	windows_11_23h2	< 10.0.22631.7652
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	< 10.0.26100.9711
microsoft	windows_11_24h2	< 10.0.26100.9711
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	< 10.0.26200.9711
microsoft	windows_11_25h2	< 10.0.26200.9711
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	< 10.0.28000.3231
microsoft	windows_11_26h1	< 10.0.28000.3231
microsoft	windows_11_26h2	< 10.0.26300.9711
microsoft	windows_11_26h2	< 10.0.26300.9711
microsoft	windows_server_2019	< 10.0.17763.9376
microsoft	windows_server_2022	< 10.0.20348.5761
microsoft	windows_server_2025	< 10.0.26100.33650

References

Advisories & Patches

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96218

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-96218? +

Improper access control in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-96218? +

CVE-2026-96218 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0057, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-96218? +

CVE-2026-96218 affects products from microsoft, specifically: windows_10_1809, windows_10_21h2, windows_10_22h2, windows_11_23h2, windows_11_24h2, windows_11_25h2, windows_11_26h1, windows_11_26h2, windows_server_2019, windows_server_2022, windows_server_2025. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-96218? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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