CVE-2026-45601: Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
CSIRTS triage
- What
- Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
- Who is affected
- Authorized users of Windows with the affected driver.
- Urgency
- Remediation is high urgency due to the potential for local privilege escalation.
- Action
- Install the latest security patches for Windows.
AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.
⚡ Watch Windows
Get an email when a new Windows advisory drops — max one per day, one-click unsubscribe.
Details
Original advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45601
Exploitation outlook
EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2026-456010.18% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 7% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.
Referenced CVEs
| CVE | CSIRTS overview | External |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-45601 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
More from Microsoft Security Response Center
- lowCVE-2026-14673: PostgreSQL amcheck does not clear untrusted search path2026-08-11
- criticalCVE-2026-69836: Microsoft Entra ID Remote Code Execution Vulnerability2026-08-11
- mediumCVE-2026-53792: rsync < 3.5.0 Out-of-Bounds Read via Zero-Length Checksum Block2026-08-11
- highCVE-2026-70347: Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability2026-08-11
- highCVE-2026-64909: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability2026-08-11