{"answers":{"affected":"It affects 5 products.","exploited":"Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-81963 in the wild since at least 8 Sep 2026.","fix":"No fix has been published for CVE-2026-81963 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 22 Sep 2026.","what":"CVE-2026-81963 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, published on 8 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim."},"fix_prompt":"Check this codebase for CVE-2026-81963 and fix it if it is affected.\n\nWhat it is: CVE-2026-81963 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, published on 8 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.\nExploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-81963 in the wild since at least 8 Sep 2026.\n\nAffected product: Microsoft Windows 11 23h2. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.\n\nTask:\n1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.\n2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.\n3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.\n4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.\n5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.\n\nReference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-81963/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-81963/index.md)","id":"CVE-2026-81963","markdown":"https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-81963/index.md","name":"CVE-2026-81963","record":{"aliases":["GHSA-4j4j-2wjq-mxqj"],"analysis":{"component_type":"operating_system","fix_type":"patch","impacts":["privilege_escalation"],"network_reachable":"adjacent_or_local","non_default_config":false,"product_category":"Windows Update Stack","requires_auth":"low_privilege","summary":"An authorized local attacker can elevate privileges by exploiting improper link resolution in the Windows Update Stack.","user_interaction":"not_required","vuln_class":"path_traversal"},"analysis_generated_by":"qwen3.8-flash-next","assigner":"microsoft","cpe":[{"product":"windows_11_23h2","vendor":"microsoft"},{"product":"windows_11_24h2","vendor":"microsoft"},{"product":"windows_11_25h2","vendor":"microsoft"},{"product":"windows_11_26h1","vendor":"microsoft"},{"product":"windows_server_2025","vendor":"microsoft"}],"cvss":{"score":7.8,"severity":"high","source":"cna","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C","version":"3.1"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-59","name":"Improper Link Resolution Before File Access"},{"id":"CWE-284","name":"Improper Access Control"}],"description":"Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.","ecosystems":[],"exploits":{"exploitdb":0,"first_seen":"2026-10-19","github_poc":1,"max_poc_stars":0,"metasploit":0,"nuclei":0,"refs":[{"date":"2026-10-19T21:51:07Z","kind":"github_poc","ref":"https://github.com/rsah35404-star/stunning-octo-doodle","stars":0,"title":" CVE-2026-81963 - It is rated as \"Important\" by Microsoft.  CVE-2026-85880 - CVE-2026-69414 - "}],"tier":"exploited"},"has_fix":null,"headline":"Microsoft Windows Link Following","id":"CVE-2026-81963","indexable":true,"kev":{"dateAdded":"2026-09-08","dueDate":"2026-09-22","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown","product":"Windows","requiredAction":"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.","vendorProject":"Microsoft","vulnerabilityName":"Microsoft Windows Link Following Vulnerability"},"kind":"cve","links":{"ecosystem":null,"product":"microsoft:windows_11_23h2","products":["microsoft:windows_11_23h2","microsoft:windows_11_24h2","microsoft:windows_11_25h2","microsoft:windows_11_26h1","microsoft:windows_server_2025"],"type":"path_traversal","year":"2026"},"n_packages":0,"n_references":1,"next":{"headline":"Windows Update Orchestrator Service Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-81964"},"packages":[],"prev":{"headline":"Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-81960"},"products":["Windows 11 Version 23H2","Windows 11 Version 24H2","Windows 11 Version 25H2","Windows 11 version 23H2","Windows 11 version 26H1","Windows Server 2025","Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)"],"published":"2026-09-08","related":[{"cvss_score":9.8,"headline":"Microsoft QUIC Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-100219","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-10-13"},{"cvss_score":9.8,"headline":"Windows BitLocker Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-96909","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-10-13"},{"cvss_score":9.8,"headline":"Microsoft QUIC Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-62815","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-08-11"},{"cvss_score":9.8,"headline":"Windows Kernel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-45657","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-06-09"},{"cvss_score":9.8,"headline":"Windows DNS Client Remote Code Execution Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-41096","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-05-12"},{"cvss_score":9.3,"headline":"Windows Hyper-V Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability","id":"CVE-2026-40402","kev_date_added":null,"published":"2026-05-12"}],"sources":[{"class":"attribution","licence":"CVE Terms of Use (MITRE)","name":"CVE List","prefix":"CVE"},{"class":"attribution","licence":"US public information, NVD API terms","name":"NVD"},{"class":"open","licence":"CC0 1.0","name":"CISA KEV"},{"class":"attribution","licence":"CWE Terms of Use","name":"CWE (MITRE)"},{"class":"attribution","licence":"FIRST CVSS licence","name":"CVSS (FIRST)"},{"class":"open","licence":"CC0","name":"PoC-in-GitHub"}],"ssvc":{"automatable":"no","exploitation":"active","technical_impact":"total"},"state":"PUBLISHED","updated":"2026-10-14","vendors":["Microsoft"]},"summary":"An authorized local attacker can elevate privileges by exploiting improper link resolution in the Windows Update Stack.","url":"https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-81963/"}