What is CVE-2026-68820?

CVE-2026-68820 is Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Memory Corruption mapped to CWE-416 Use After Free.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Yes: CISA KEV signal present. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

Is there a public exploit?

6 public PoC repositories reported; 1 marked weaponized in current dataset. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with Not reported where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-68820 using CVSS 7, EPSS 6%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

The supplied mitigation guidance says to apply vendor patches and restrict external exposure until fixed. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

Publicly linked actor or ransomware signals in the supplied enrichment data: Lazarus Group (), ELECTRUM (). Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

CISA KEVhighMemory Corruptionpublic exploit

CVE-2026-68820

CVE-2026-68820 — Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Q: Is it in CISA KEV?

Yes. The supplied enrichment data lists CVE-2026-68820 in CISA KEV with required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Published Aug 11, 2026Updated Aug 16, 2026Sources: NVD, Microsoft (CNA), CISA, FIRST EPSS, GitHub, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Confirmed

CISA KEV, listed Aug 11, 2026

EPSS

ahead of 93% of scored CVEs

Affects

Microsoft

20 products listed

CVSS base

high · 2 sources

CISA SSVC assessment

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

CISA

Exploitation

Active

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade Windows 10 Version 1607 to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

CISA required action

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Federal deadline Aug 25, 2026 — passed 24 days ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
Microsoft	Windows 10 Version 1607	10.0.14393.0 to < 10.0.14393.9418	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 10 Version 1809	10.0.17763.0 to < 10.0.17763.9121	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 10 Version 21H2	10.0.19044.0 to < 10.0.19044.7663	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 10 Version 22H2	10.0.19045.0 to < 10.0.19045.7663	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 11 version 23H2	10.0.22631.0 to < 10.0.22631.7517	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 11 Version 23H2	10.0.22631.0 to < 10.0.22631.7517	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 11 Version 24H2	10.0.26100.0 to < 10.0.26100.9168	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 11 Version 25H2	10.0.26200.0 to < 10.0.26200.9168	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows 11 version 26H1	10.0.28000.0 to < 10.0.28000.2704	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows Server 2012	6.2.9200.0 to < 6.2.9200.26280	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)	6.2.9200.0 to < 6.2.9200.26280	Vulnerable
Microsoft	Windows Server 2012 R2	6.3.9600.0 to < 6.3.9600.23338	Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

High

Attack Vector

Local

Privileges Req

Low

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
7	CVSS 3.1	high	1	5.9	Microsoft (CNA)
7	CVSS 3.1	high	—	—	Microsoft (CNA)

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

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-416 · Use After Free

Modify Memory
DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands

Mitigation: Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-416Use After Free

Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.

CAPEC-100 · Overflow BuffersCAPEC-123 · Buffer Manipulation

CISA KEV details

CISA lists a CVE here once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISAThat month →

Listed

Aug 11, 2026

Federal deadline

Aug 25, 2026

passed 24 days ago

Ransomware use

Unknown

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a date to argue against.

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

1 of the 4 sampled are weaponized

Exploit entries

Exploit-DB and CTI exploit indexes

Social mentions

Posts naming this CVE. Attention, not evidence of exploitation — it spikes on disclosure and decays whether or not anything is exploited.

35 more posts on this CVEShowing 5 of 40 · Who is discussing this CVE, and how loudlyUnlock free

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 6 public PoC repositories were reported.

Groups associated with this CVE

Groups reported in connection with this vulnerability. A reported association, not a confirmed observation of that group using it — and not scoped to any sector or campaign.

Lazarus GroupELECTRUM

hostnameuxtramine.org99
Maltrail Malware Feeds · Aug 11, 2026
hashecbe5171265aef1f88d3b12a7891a94992
Internal Malware Information and Threat Sharing Platform · Aug 13, 2026
hash8a269ae11275421e6302ab3714fc61e1b796057692
Internal Malware Information and Threat Sharing Platform · Aug 13, 2026
hash07bfd8b5cf77a22d6029c3fcf9157ecd89
SOCRadar Threat Exchange Services · Aug 12, 2026
hash07c9e9716abfdb91cb11ac1dfd0ea53685
SOCRadar Threat Exchange Services · Aug 13, 2026

5 more indicators on this CVEShowing 5 of 10 · Hashes, addresses and domains from a live threat exchangeUnlock free

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Cve is exploited maxprog-svg/CVE-2026-68820_Mass_Exploit
Aug 26, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
Cve is exploited fevar54/CVE-2026-68820-Mitigation-PoC-
Aug 25, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
Added · CVSS 3.1 7.0 (AV:L)
Aug 16, 2026 · NVD
Added to CISA KEV catalog
Aug 11, 2026 · CISA
Initial · CVE published
Aug 11, 2026 · NVD

Source activity

Readings a source repeats on a schedule, counted rather than listed.

16×TweetsAug 13, 2026 – Aug 28, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
14×SVRS was changedAug 13, 2026 – Aug 29, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
3×Github ReposAug 15, 2026 – Aug 25, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
3×TelegramAug 13, 2026 – Aug 18, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
1×CVE modified by MITRE: CVSS metrics updated.Aug 16, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI

References

6 on the record

msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68820
Patch, Vendor Advisory, Mitre, NIST
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-68820
US Government Resource, NIST
portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2026-68820
Vendor Advisory
www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
US Government Resource
www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
US Government Resource
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68820
Vendor Advisory

Coverage

21 stories from the feeds we poll

16 more reports on this CVEShowing 5 of 21 · Vendor research and security press coverageUnlock free

Elsewhere on this site

Microsoftevery CVE for this vendor
August 2026what else CISA listed
Memory Corruptionsame class
CWE-416other pages naming this weakness

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

Only the 5 indicator(s) reported for this CVE are available; no packet-level or host-forensic artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-68820 is Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability, a high vulnerability affecting Windows 10 Version 1607, Windows 10 Version 1809, Windows 10 Version 21H2, Windows 10 Version 22H2, Windows 11 version 23H2, Windows 11 Version 23H2, Windows 11 Version 24H2, Windows 11 Version 25H2, Windows 11 version 26H1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) from Microsoft. The current evidence lists it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Yes: CISA KEV signal present. Public exploit evidence is: 6 public PoC repositories reported; 1 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 7 describes technical severity, while EPSS 6% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.