What is CVE-2026-68820?
Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
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
- 2026-08-25CISA federal remediation deadline (BOD 22-01)
- 2026-10-26NVD record last updated
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Use-After-Free Vulnerability
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 Ancillary Function Driver For WinSock 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)
Related vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-69829 – Microsoft Windows (same product)
- CVE-2026-33824 – Microsoft Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extensions (same product)
- CVE-2026-96951 – Microsoft Windows (same product)
- CVE-2026-85880 – Microsoft Windows (same product)
- CVE-2026-69730 – Microsoft Windows (same product)
- CVE-2026-56155 – Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (same product)
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.