CVE-2026-45603: 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.
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Details
Original advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45603
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-2026-456030.18% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 8% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.
Referenced CVEs
| CVE | CSIRTS overview | External |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-45603 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
Recent advisories for Windows Ancillary Function
A cluster of recent advisories against the same product widens the attack surface — attackers routinely chain freshly published CVEs on one product, so review these together.
- highCVE-2026-70307: Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker …nvd · 2026-08-11
- highexploitedCVE-2026-68820: Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker …nvd · 2026-08-11
- highCVE-2026-61348: Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker …nvd · 2026-08-11
- highCVE-2026-61348: Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilitymsrc · 2026-08-11
- highCVE-2026-70307: Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilitymsrc · 2026-08-11
- highexploitedCVE-2026-68820: Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilitymsrc · 2026-08-11
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