CVE-2026-85850 Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High 7.8 Published 13 Oct 2026 Updated 29 Oct 2026

An authorized local attacker can elevate privileges by exploiting a release of invalid pointer in the Windows Kernel.

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-2026-85850?

CVE-2026-85850 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 26h1, 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

Release of invalid pointer or reference in Windows Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Weakness: CWE-763

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85850?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Microsoft Windows 11 26h1.

How do I fix CVE-2026-85850?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-85850 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2026-85850 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-85850 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Microsoft Windows 11 26h1 vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-w77p-r8h7-vhqg.