CVE-2026-69673 Windows Update Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High 7.8 Published Updated

An authorized local attacker can elevate privileges via improper link resolution in Windows Update, requiring a security patch.

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-2026-69673?

CVE-2026-69673 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, 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 Update allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Weakness: CWE-59

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-69673?

It affects 6 products.

Products include Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, Microsoft Windows 11 24h2, Microsoft Windows 11 25h2, Microsoft Windows 11 26h1, Microsoft Windows 11 26h2, Microsoft Windows Server 2025.

How do I fix CVE-2026-69673?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-69673 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-2026-69673 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-69673 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Microsoft Windows 11 23h2 vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-fj7f-q738-7jrw.

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