# CVE-2026-8501: CVE-2026-8501

> Local attackers can exploit improper access control in the PC Tools Internet Security kernel driver to perform privileged operations and escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 1 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x42p-q354-px3c

## What is CVE-2026-8501?

CVE-2026-8501 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Symantec PC Tools Internet Security, published on 1 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper access control in the PCTCore64.sys Windows kernel driver from PC Tools Internet Security allows user-mode processes to access the PCTCoreDriver WDM device interface and invoke privileged IOCTL handlers. A local attacker with the ability to access or load the affected driver can exploit this vulnerability to perform sensitive and privileged operations on the target system.

Weakness: CWE-782 (Exposed IOCTL with Insufficient Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-8501?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-8501?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-8501 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-8501 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-8501 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-8501 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-8501 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Symantec PC Tools Internet Security, published on 1 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-8501 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Symantec PC Tools Internet Security. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8501/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8501/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-8501
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-8501
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-8501

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8501/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.