External Control of File Name or Path in Microsoft Windows and Windows Server - CVE-2026-20872

 

External Control of File Name or Path in Microsoft Windows and Windows Server - CVE-2026-20872

Published: January 14, 2026


Vulnerability identifier: #VU121453
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 6.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-20872
CWE-ID: CWE-73
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability: No public exploit available

Vulnerability details

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to compromise the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to external control of file name or path in NTLM Hash. A remote attacker can gain elevated privileges on the system.


Affected software

Microsoft Windows
Windows Server

How to mitigate CVE-2026-20872

Install updates from vendor's website.

Microsoft Windows - addressed in versions 10 21H2 10.0.19044.6809, 10 22H2 10.0.19045.6809, 10 1607 10.0.14393.8783, 10 1809 10.0.17763.8276, 11 23H2 10.0.22631.6491, 11 24H2 10.0.26100.3223, 11 24H2 10.0.26100.7623
Windows Server - addressed in versions 2008 R2 6.1.7601.28117, 2008 6.0.6003.23717, 2012 R2 6.3.9600.22968, 2012 6.2.9200.25868, 2016 10.0.14393.8783, 2019 10.0.17763.8276, 2022 23H2 10.0.25398.2092, 2022 10.0.20348.4648, 2025 10.0.26100.7623, 2025 10.0.26100.32230

External References

Related Security Bulletins