CVE-2026-69923: Local privilege escalation via search path in Windows AI · ZeroHour

CVE-2026-69923

mass

Local privilege escalation via search path in Windows AI

CVSS 3.1

7.8 high

EPSS

—

Published

Oct 13, 2026 (3d ago)

Modified

Oct 16, 2026

AI analysis

CVE-2026-69923 is an uncontrolled search path element (CWE-427) in Microsoft Windows AI. An attacker who is already authorized as a local user can abuse how the component locates files or binaries to elevate privileges, without user interaction. Successful exploitation yields high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the local system (CVSS 3.1 base score 7.8, vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Affected version ranges are not stated in the provided data. It is not listed in CISA KEV, and no public proof-of-concept is known.

What to do: Install the current Microsoft security updates for Windows as soon as a fix for CVE-2026-69923 is published, and confirm the Windows AI component is included. Until then, limit local accounts to least privilege and treat untrusted local users as a privilege-escalation risk. No public workaround or fixed version is given in the provided data.

Affected

Microsoft Windows AI

—

Estimated exposure

massPotentially hundreds of millions of Windows endpoints; exact Windows AI footprint unknown — Windows runs on a very large global install base (on the order of hundreds of millions to over a billion endpoints); the exact share with the Windows AI component enabled is not published, so this is an order-of-magnitude estimate rather…

Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.

Description

Uncontrolled search path element in Windows AI allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Vendors: microsoft
Products: windows 11 24h2, windows 11 25h2, windows 11 26h1, windows 11 26h2, windows server 2025
Weakness: CWE-427
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

NVD CVE.org GitHub PoCs EPSS (—)

CVE-2026-69923

In the news1 stories

Microsoft’s October 2026 Patch Tuesday addresses 1407 CVEs (CVE-2026-96951)