What is CVE-2026-68896?

CVE-2026-68896 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, classified under Absolute Path Traversal. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-09-08.

How severe is CVE-2026-68896?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Path Traversal in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2

CVE-2026-68896

Absolute path traversal in Microsoft Windows Search Component allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Published 2026-09-08 · last modified 2026-09-24.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (29.8th percentile), scored 2026-10-24.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 30th percentile — 29.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: -0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-36 — Absolute Path Traversal

References

Microsoft Windows Search Component Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (vendor-advisory, Patch, patch, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-68896?: CVE-2026-68896 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 23h2, classified under Absolute Path Traversal. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-09-08.
How severe is CVE-2026-68896?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.