Description

Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Bind Filter Driver allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.0",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-11T17:18:20.353Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-11T17:18:20.353Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Windows Bind Filter Driver due to concurrent execution using a shared resource with improper synchronization, commonly known as a race condition. This security flaw enables a locally authenticated threat actor to manipulate shared system resources during multi-threaded operations, resulting in unauthorized elevation of privileges on the affected host. The vulnerability affects the Windows Bind Filter Driver component across standard deployment configurations. Risk implications include complete system compromise, as an attacker executing code with low privileges can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code or commands in the context of a privileged security context, such as SYSTEM. Exploitation requirements mandate that the attacker already possesses local access to the target operating system with authorization to execute code, after which they can exploit the synchronization flaw to escalate privileges without requiring user interaction or network connectivity.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability stems from an improper synchronization flaw (CWE-362: Concurrent Execution Using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization) residing within the Windows Bind Filter Driver. The root cause is the unsafe handling of shared memory or kernel-level objects across multiple concurrent execution threads without adequate locking mechanisms, mutexes, or synchronization primitives. This architectural weakness introduces a temporal window of vulnerability where a race condition can be triggered.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: an authenticated local attacker initiates parallel execution threads or asynchronous operations designed to interact with the vulnerable Windows Bind Filter Driver. By precisely timing requests or manipulating input parameters that interface with the driver's internal state machine, the attacker forces a contention condition on the shared resource. Because the driver fails to properly serialize access or enforce atomic operations, a state desynchronization occurs. This race condition leads to memory corruption, use-after-free conditions, or invalid object manipulation within kernel space.\nAuthentication and privilege requirements dictate that the attacker must possess local execution access on the target system. The vulnerability is locally exploitable, meaning remote network vectors cannot be leveraged directly to trigger the race condition. The vulnerable component is strictly confined to the kernel-mode driver responsible for handling bind filter operations within the Windows operating system architecture.\nUpon successful exploitation of the race condition, the payload behavior facilitates arbitrary kernel-level read/write primitives or control flow hijacking. This post-exploitation impact allows the malicious actor to manipulate process access tokens, bypass security boundaries, and elevate their execution context from a standard user or service account to administrative or SYSTEM privileges, thereby subverting all host-based operating system protections."
}