Feb 2026: Windows Subsystem for Linux Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2026-21242 Published on February 10, 2026
Windows Subsystem for Linux Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Use after free in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Weakness Type
What is a Dangling pointer Vulnerability?
Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code.
CVE-2026-21242 has been classified to as a Dangling pointer vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-21242
You can be notified by email with stack.watch whenever vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-21242 are published in these products:
Affected Versions
Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2:- Version 10.0.19044.0 and below 10.0.19044.6937 is affected.
- Version 10.0.19045.0 and below 10.0.19045.6937 is affected.
- Version 10.0.22631.0 and below 10.0.22631.6649 is affected.
- Version 10.0.22631.0 and below 10.0.22631.6649 is affected.
- Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.7840 is affected.
- Version 10.0.26200.0 and below 10.0.26200.7840 is affected.
- Version 10.0.28000.0 and below 10.0.28000.1575 is affected.
- Version 10.0.28000.0 and below 10.0.28000.1575 is affected.
- Version 10.0.20348.0 and below 10.0.20348.4773 is affected.
- Version 10.0.25398.0 and below 10.0.25398.2149 is affected.
- Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.32370 is affected.
- Version 10.0.26100.0 and below 10.0.26100.32370 is affected.
Exploit Probability
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.