CVE-2026-102204 Windows Subsystem for Linux Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
An authorized local attacker can elevate privileges in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for Linux due to improper link resolution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-102204?
CVE-2026-102204 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2), published on 13 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Weakness: CWE-59
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-102204?
How do I fix CVE-2026-102204?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-102204 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-102204 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-102204 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-cc23-mrxf-w2c6.