Jan 2026: Windows Spoofing Vulnerability
CVE-2026-20834 Published on January 13, 2026

Windows Spoofing Vulnerability
Absolute path traversal in Windows Shell allows an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing with a physical attack.

Vendor Advisory NVD

Weakness Types

Absolute Path Traversal

The software uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory. This allows attackers to traverse the file system to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory.

What is a Privacy violation Vulnerability?

The product does not properly prevent a person's private, personal information from being accessed by actors who either (1) are not explicitly authorized to access the information or (2) do not have the implicit consent of the person about whom the information is collected.

CVE-2026-20834 has been classified to as a Privacy violation vulnerability or weakness.

Products Associated with CVE-2026-20834

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Microsoft Windows 10

Microsoft Windows Server 2019

Microsoft Windows Server 2022

Microsoft Windows Server 2025

Microsoft Windows 11 25h2

Microsoft Windows 11 23h2

Microsoft Windows Server 23h2

Microsoft Windows 11 24h2

Microsoft Windows Server 2016

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Sp2

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Windows Server 2012

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2

Affected Versions

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607:

Version 10.0.14393.0 and below 10.0.14393.8783 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809:

Version 10.0.17763.0 and below 10.0.17763.8276 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2:

Version 10.0.19044.0 and below 10.0.19044.6809 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 22H2:

Version 10.0.19045.0 and below 10.0.19045.6809 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 11 version 22H3:

Version 10.0.22631.0 and below 10.0.22631.6491 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 23H2:

Version 10.0.22631.0 and below 10.0.22631.6491 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2:

Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.7623 is affected.

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2:

Version 10.0.26200.0 and below 10.0.26200.7623 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1:

Version 6.1.7601.0 and below 6.1.7601.28117 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation):

Version 6.1.7601.0 and below 6.1.7601.28117 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2:

Version 6.0.6003.0 and below 6.0.6003.23717 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation):

Version 6.0.6003.0 and below 6.0.6003.23717 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2012:

Version 6.2.9200.0 and below 6.2.9200.25868 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation):

Version 6.2.9200.0 and below 6.2.9200.25868 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2:

Version 6.3.9600.0 and below 6.3.9600.22968 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation):

Version 6.3.9600.0 and below 6.3.9600.22968 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2016:

Version 10.0.14393.0 and below 10.0.14393.8783 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation):

Version 10.0.14393.0 and below 10.0.14393.8783 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2019:

Version 10.0.17763.0 and below 10.0.17763.8276 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation):

Version 10.0.17763.0 and below 10.0.17763.8276 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2022:

Version 10.0.20348.0 and below 10.0.20348.4648 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation):

Version 10.0.25398.0 and below 10.0.25398.2092 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2025:

Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.32230 is affected.

Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation):

Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.32230 is affected.

Exploit Probability

EPSS

0.06%

Percentile

17.99%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.