CVE-2026-20826CWE-362

CVE-2026-20826

High · published January 13, 2026

CVSS v3.1
7.8
EPSS
0%
Percentile
21.6
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚡ A sneaky race condition in the TWINUI subsystem lets authorized attackers elevate their privileges locally without breaking a sweat! Think of this like a busy restaurant kitchen where two chefs try to grab the last item on the shelf at the same time—if they're not synchronized, one might accidentally get the dish intended for the other. Without proper timing, chaos could ensue! This vulnerability could allow an attacker to slip into a higher access level, gaining the ability to execute actions they shouldn't be able to. Imagine someone in the kitchen who gets to cook the gourmet specials instead of just serving the appetizers—total game changer! Unauthorized changes or access could lead to serious data breaches or system manipulations.

Put simply

Think of this like a busy restaurant kitchen where two chefs try to grab the last item on the shelf at the same time—if they're not synchronized, one might accidentally get the dish intended for the other. Without proper timing, chaos could ensue! The race condition in the TWINUI subsystem arises from improper synchronization when multiple processes attempt to access shared resources concurrently, enabling privilege escalation for authorized users.

What to do

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to slip into a higher access level, gaining the ability to execute actions they shouldn't be able to. Imagine someone in the kitchen who gets to cook the gourmet specials instead of just serving the appetizers—total game changer! Unauthorized changes or access could lead to serious data breaches or system manipulations. To fix this, apply the latest security updates from Microsoft, which address this synchronization flaw. Regularly audit permissions and user roles to ensure that only necessary privileges are granted. Stay aware of system logs for any unusual activities! You've got this! With a few simple steps, you'll be reinforcing your security and keeping the bad guys at bay! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
7.8 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00300 · 21.6th percentile
Weakness
CWE-362 · Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Published
2026-01-13T23:16Z
Affected products (14)
ProductVersionsFixed in
microsoft/windows_10_1607< 10.0.14393.878310.0.14393.8783
microsoft/windows_10_1607< 10.0.14393.878310.0.14393.8783
microsoft/windows_10_1809< 10.0.17763.827610.0.17763.8276
microsoft/windows_10_1809< 10.0.17763.827610.0.17763.8276
microsoft/windows_10_21h2< 10.0.19044.680910.0.19044.6809
microsoft/windows_10_22h2< 10.0.19045.680910.0.19045.6809
microsoft/windows_11_23h2< 10.0.22631.649110.0.22631.6491
microsoft/windows_11_24h2< 10.0.26100.762310.0.26100.7623
microsoft/windows_11_25h2< 10.0.26200.762310.0.26200.7623
microsoft/windows_server_2016< 10.0.14393.878310.0.14393.8783
microsoft/windows_server_2019< 10.0.17763.827610.0.17763.8276
microsoft/windows_server_2022< 10.0.20348.464810.0.20348.4648
microsoft/windows_server_2022_23h2< 10.0.25398.209210.0.25398.2092
microsoft/windows_server_2025< 10.0.26100.3223010.0.26100.32230
References (1)
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 13 JAN 17:56Z
    Tablet Windows User Interface (TWINUI) Subsystem Information Disclosure Vulnerability
    cvelistv5