Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 26h1

CVE-2026-72971

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Container Isolation FS Filter Driver (unionfs.sys) allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (27.5th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 28th percentile — 27.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-72971: held from 0.005 to 0.004.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.004 · change: -0.001

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-72971?
CVE-2026-72971 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 11 26h1, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-08-11.
How severe is CVE-2026-72971?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.