CVE-2026-68820 | defend.network

What is CVE-2026-68820?

Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

CVSS7 NVD 3.1

SeverityHIGH

Exploitation In the wild In CISA KEV

EPSS6% · P93

Triage statusActive Exploit

ActionPatch immediately

CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWECWE-416

NVD published2026-08-11

NVD last modified2026-08-16

Timeline

2026-08-11Published to the U.S. National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-08-11Added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog
2026-08-13First covered in a defend.network daily briefing
2026-08-16NVD record last updated
2026-08-25CISA federal remediation deadline (BOD 22-01)

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Added to KEV2026-08-11

Federal patch deadline2026-08-25

Known ransomware useUnknown

Affected product

Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver For WinSock

NVD also lists CPE entries for: Microsoft Windows 10 1607, Microsoft Windows 10 1809, Microsoft Windows 10 21h2, Microsoft Windows 10 22h2, Microsoft Windows 11 23h2

Remediation Steps

Apply the vendor security update for Microsoft Windows 10 1607 as a priority.
Restrict network exposure of the affected service to trusted sources until patched.
Review logs and detections for indicators of exploitation.
Confirm fixed versions against the official vendor advisory before deploying.

References

Referenced in our briefings & reports

Vulnerability Priority Report – Week 5 of August 2026 (August 31 – September 6)
Vulnerability Priority Report – Week 4 of August 2026 (August 24 – 30)
Vulnerability Priority Report – Week 3 of August 2026 (August 17 – 23)
Vulnerability Priority Report – Week 2 of August 2026 (August 10 – 16)
SharePoint auth bypass exploited; 737 Chrome VPN extensions abused; Microsoft patches 398 flaws (2026-08-14)
Lazarus Windows zero-day, Adobe CVSS 10.0 patches, 737 malicious Chrome VPN extensions (2026-08-13)

Browse all tracked CVEs in the defend.network CVE database →

🤖 This CVE page is generated by defend.network from NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS, and our verified daily briefings. Severity and exploitation data come from official sources; always verify remediation steps against the official vendor advisory before acting in production.