Use-after-free in Windows Server - CVE-2026-72998
Published: November 11, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU165531
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 9.2 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-72998
CWE-ID: CWE-416
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
The vulnerability exists due to use-after-free in Windows DHCP Server when processing network packets. A remote attacker can send a specially crafted packet to the affected service to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
Affected software
Windows Server
How to mitigate CVE-2026-72998
Install security update from vendor's website.
Windows Server - addressed in versions 2016 10.0.14393.9688, 2019 10.0.17763.9487, 2022 10.0.20348.5870, 2025 10.0.26100.33730, 2025 10.0.26100.33822