{"id":"CVE-2026-96053","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-96053"],"related":[],"title":"Windows Task Scheduler: command injection lets a local user gain elevated privileges","description":"Improper neutralization of special elements used in a command ('command injection') in Windows Task Scheduler allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.","summary":"Windows Task Scheduler does not neutralize special characters in a command, so an authorized local attacker can inject commands. The attacker gains higher privileges on the same machine.","severity":"high","cvss":7.8,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[{"name":"Windows Task Scheduler","fixed":[],"affected":"","ecosystem":"vendor"}],"ecosystems":["vendor"],"tags":["infrastructure","local","privilege-escalation","task-scheduler","windows"],"not_affected_if":["auth-required"],"how_to_check":"Unknown build list. Install the November 2026 Windows cumulative update and compare your build to the fixed build on the MSRC update guide entry for CVE-2026-96053.","fix":null,"status":"open","published_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:02+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:28+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-11-10T19:36:41+00:00","updated_at":"2026-11-10T20:00:30+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.4,"triage":{"at":"2026-11-10T19:36:41Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"unknown","reach":"local","title":"Windows Task Scheduler: command injection lets a local user gain elevated privileges","impact":"high","summary":"Windows Task Scheduler does not neutralize special characters in a command, so an authorized local attacker can inject commands. The attacker gains higher privileges on the same machine.","audience":"businesses","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["windows","task-scheduler"],"confidence":0.6,"fix_status":"unknown","needs_auth":"yes","worst_case":"local user gains elevated privileges on the Windows machine","analyst_note":"Find the affected Windows builds and the Microsoft advisory for CVE-2026-96053 and its fixed update, from the NVD entry at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96053.","how_to_check":"unknown","plain_action":"","product_name":"Windows Task Scheduler","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":[],"who_is_affected":"Affects Windows machines where a local user with an existing account can reach Task Scheduler. The sources do not name affected Windows builds or the exact trigger, so unknown. Machines with no untrusted local users carry lower practical risk.","user_interaction":"unknown","product_ecosystem":"vendor","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"high"},"cost_usd":0.00069,"input_tokens":4501,"output_tokens":480,"severity_before":"high"},"analyst_status":"done","analyst_note":"Find the affected Windows builds and the Microsoft advisory for CVE-2026-96053 and its fixed update, from the NVD entry at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96053.","search":"'-2026':14A,17A '-96053':15A,18A 'allow':74C 'attack':46B,51B,77C 'author':44B,76C 'charact':38B 'command':4A,41B,49B,67C,68C 'cve':13A,16A 'element':63C 'elev':11A,79C 'escal':26B 'gain':10A,52B 'higher':53B 'improp':59C 'infrastructur':22B 'inject':5A,48B,69C 'let':6A 'local':8A,23B,45B,81C 'machin':58B 'neutral':36B,60C 'privileg':12A,25B,54B,80C 'privilege-escal':24B 'schedul':3A,29B,33B,73C 'scheduler':21A 'special':37B,62C 'task':2A,20A,28B,32B,72C 'task-schedul':27B 'use':64C 'user':9A 'window':1A,30B,31B,71C 'windows':19A","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Affects Windows machines where a local user with an existing account can reach Task Scheduler. The sources do not name affected Windows builds or the exact trigger, so unknown. Machines with no untrusted local users carry lower practical risk.","tier":"B","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"fix_status":"none","audience":"businesses","plain_action":null,"pkeys":["taskscheduler","windowstaskscheduler"],"ptokens":["scheduler","task","windows"],"labels":["high","infrastructure","local","privilegeescalation","taskscheduler","vendor","windows"],"campaign_type":null,"search_a":"'-2026':14A,17A '-96053':15A,18A 'command':4A 'cve':13A,16A 'elev':11A 'gain':10A 'inject':5A 'let':6A 'local':8A 'privileg':12A 'schedul':3A 'scheduler':21A 'task':2A,20A 'user':9A 'window':1A 'windows':19A","search_b":"'attack':46B,51B 'author':44B 'charact':38B 'command':41B,49B 'escal':26B 'gain':52B 'higher':53B 'infrastructur':22B 'inject':48B 'local':23B,45B 'machin':58B 'neutral':36B 'privileg':25B,54B 'privilege-escal':24B 'schedul':29B,33B 'special':37B 'task':28B,32B 'task-schedul':27B 'window':30B,31B","search_c":"'allow':74C 'attack':77C 'author':76C 'command':67C,68C 'element':63C 'elev':79C 'improp':59C 'inject':69C 'local':81C 'neutral':60C 'privileg':80C 'schedul':73C 'special':62C 'task':72C 'use':64C 'window':71C","cause_entry":null,"cause_path":null,"disclosures_checked_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:02+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","cvss_by":"secure@microsoft.com","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-96053","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96053","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:02+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:02+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:28+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:28+00:00","note":null},{"source":"analyst","external_id":"CVE-2026-96053:2591","url":"https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/updates/CVE-2026-96053","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-11-10T20:00:30+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-10T20:00:30+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T20:00:30+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-11-10T20:00:30+00:00","note":"MSRC API confirms CVE is in the Nov 2026 (2026-11-10) Patch Tuesday release, but the update-guide page and CVRF doc did not load, and NVD page had no body. Affected builds, KB and fix unknown; settle by reading the MSRC update guide entry. No exploitation or PoC found; no posts searched.","cites":["https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/updates/CVE-2026-96053"]}],"documents":[{"id":117742,"url":"https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/updates/CVE-2026-96053","title":"MSRC CVRF: CVE-2026-96053 listed in November 2026 Security Updates","kind":"advisory","source":"analyst","publisher":null,"text":"MSRC API lists CVE-2026-96053 under the 2026-Nov security update (initial release 2026-11-10T08:00:00Z). No affected builds or KB numbers in this response.","published_at":null,"relation":"advisory","confidence":null,"note":null}],"disclosures":[],"exploit_sources":[],"notice":"Free to read, with fair use of about 60 pages a minute. For higher limits or API access: sales@infrastack.ai"}