{"id":"CVE-2026-96972","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-96972"],"related":[],"title":"Windows DNS: out-of-bounds read lets a network attacker leak data","description":"Out-of-bounds read in Windows DNS allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information over a network.","summary":"Windows DNS reads memory past the end of a buffer when handling certain network requests. An unauthorized attacker on the network can use this to disclose information from the server.","severity":"high","cvss":7.5,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["dns","infrastructure","windows","windows-server"],"not_affected_if":["no-dns-server-role","non-windows-dns"],"how_to_check":"- Check whether the server runs the DNS Server role, for example with `Get-WindowsFeature DNS` in PowerShell.\n- Compare the installed Windows build against the Microsoft update for CVE-2026-96972; the affected builds are unknown from the sources.","fix":null,"status":"open","published_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:19+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:33+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-11-10T19:42:49+00:00","updated_at":"2026-11-10T19:44:15+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.4,"triage":{"at":"2026-11-10T19:42:49Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"unknown","reach":"network","title":"Windows DNS: out-of-bounds read lets a network attacker leak data","impact":"low","summary":"Windows DNS reads memory past the end of a buffer when handling certain network requests. An unauthorized attacker on the network can use this to disclose information from the server.","audience":"businesses","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["windows","windows-server","dns"],"confidence":0.5,"fix_status":"unknown","needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"attacker reads server memory over the network without credentials","analyst_note":"Find the Microsoft advisory for CVE-2026-96972 to confirm affected Windows builds and the patch.","how_to_check":"- Check whether the server runs the DNS Server role, for example with `Get-WindowsFeature DNS` in PowerShell.\n- Compare the installed Windows build against the Microsoft update for CVE-2026-96972; the affected builds are unknown from the sources.","plain_action":"","product_name":"","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["no-dns-server-role","non-windows-dns"],"who_is_affected":"Only Windows servers running the Windows DNS Server role are exposed, since the flaw is in that service. Machines that only use DNS as a client, or that use a different DNS server, are not affected. The sources do not list affected builds.","user_interaction":"no","product_ecosystem":"","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"high"},"cost_usd":0.000701,"input_tokens":4486,"output_tokens":504,"severity_before":"high"},"analyst_status":"done","analyst_note":"Find the Microsoft advisory for CVE-2026-96972 to confirm affected Windows builds and the patch.","search":"'-2026':15A,18A '-96972':16A,19A 'allow':64C 'attack':11A,43B,67C 'bound':6A,59C 'buffer':35B 'certain':38B 'cve':14A,17A 'data':13A 'disclos':51B,69C 'dns':2A,20B,27B,63C 'end':32B 'handl':37B 'inform':52B,70C 'infrastructur':21B 'leak':12A 'let':8A 'memori':29B 'network':10A,39B,46B,73C 'out-of-bound':3A,56C 'past':30B 'read':7A,28B,60C 'request':40B 'server':25B,55B 'unauthor':42B,66C 'use':48B 'window':1A,22B,24B,26B,62C 'windows-serv':23B","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Only Windows servers running the Windows DNS Server role are exposed, since the flaw is in that service. Machines that only use DNS as a client, or that use a different DNS server, are not affected. The sources do not list affected builds.","tier":"B","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"fix_status":"unknown","audience":"businesses","plain_action":null,"pkeys":[],"ptokens":[],"labels":["dns","high","infrastructure","windows","windowsserver"],"campaign_type":null,"search_a":"'-2026':15A,18A '-96972':16A,19A 'attack':11A 'bound':6A 'cve':14A,17A 'data':13A 'dns':2A 'leak':12A 'let':8A 'network':10A 'out-of-bound':3A 'read':7A 'window':1A","search_b":"'attack':43B 'buffer':35B 'certain':38B 'disclos':51B 'dns':20B,27B 'end':32B 'handl':37B 'inform':52B 'infrastructur':21B 'memori':29B 'network':39B,46B 'past':30B 'read':28B 'request':40B 'server':25B,55B 'unauthor':42B 'use':48B 'window':22B,24B,26B 'windows-serv':23B","search_c":"'allow':64C 'attack':67C 'bound':59C 'disclos':69C 'dns':63C 'inform':70C 'network':73C 'out-of-bound':56C 'read':60C 'unauthor':66C 'window':62C","cause_entry":null,"cause_path":null,"disclosures_checked_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:19+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","cvss_by":"secure@microsoft.com","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-96972","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96972","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:19+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-10T19:22:19+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:33+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-11-10T19:25:33+00:00","note":null},{"source":"analyst","external_id":"CVE-2026-96972:2543","url":null,"severity":null,"published_at":"2026-11-10T19:44:15+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-10T19:44:15+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T19:44:15+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-11-10T19:44:15+00:00","note":"MSRC advisory and NVD page not retrievable (empty results); no affected builds or KB found. Search hits were other DNS CVEs, not this id. Nothing verified; fix left unknown. Revisit when MSRC page is readable."}],"documents":[],"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"}