Is CVE-2026-68820 actively exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks CVE-2026-68820 as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

What exploitation activity has KEV Intelligence observed?

KEV Intelligence has not yet recorded sensor-observed exploitation attempts for CVE-2026-68820. Our sensors continue to monitor for activity targeting this CVE.

Which versions are affected?

CVE-2026-68820 affects Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 and 19 other products. KEV Intelligence lists 20 version rows; examples include 10.0.14393.0 to < 10.0.14393.9418, 10.0.17763.0 to < 10.0.17763.9121, and 10.0.19044.0 to < 10.0.19044.7663.

Yes. CVE-2026-68820 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. KEV Intelligence attested it 12 hours ahead of CISA.

CVE-2026-68820 Exploited in the Wild — Windows 10 Version 1607, Windows 10 Version 1809, Windows 10 Version 21H2, Windows 10 Version 22H2, Windows 11 version 23H2, Windows 11 Version 23H2, Windows 11 Version 24H2, Windows 11 Version 25H2, Windows 11 version 26H1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation), Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)

Q: What is CVE-2026-68820?

CVE-2026-68820 is a vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 and 19 other products. Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Q: How should organizations remediate it?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Q: Is it in CISA KEV?

Yes. CVE-2026-68820 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. KEV Intelligence attested it 12 hours ahead of CISA.

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2026-68820 is a vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 and 19 other products. Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges...

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

Microsoft / Windows 10 Version 1607 affected before 10.0.14393.9418.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Windows 10 Version 1607

Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Vendor Product Affected Status

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 Before 10.0.14393.9418 Affected

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 Before 10.0.17763.9121 Affected

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 21H2 Before 10.0.19044.7663 Affected

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 22H2 Before 10.0.19045.7663 Affected

Microsoft Windows 11 version 23H2 Before 10.0.22631.7517 Affected

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 23H2 Before 10.0.22631.7517 Affected

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 24H2 Before 10.0.26100.9168 Affected

Microsoft Windows 11 Version 25H2 Before 10.0.26200.9168 Affected

Microsoft Windows 11 version 26H1 Before 10.0.28000.2704 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Before 6.2.9200.26280 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) Before 6.2.9200.26280 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Before 6.3.9600.23338 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) Before 6.3.9600.23338 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Before 10.0.14393.9418 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) Before 10.0.14393.9418 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Before 10.0.17763.9121 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) Before 10.0.17763.9121 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Before 10.0.20348.5499 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Before 10.0.26100.33296 Affected

Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) Before 10.0.26100.33296 Affected

View vendor advisory

Published: 11 Aug 2026
Exploitation Reported: 11 Aug 2026
Attack vector: Local
Complexity: High
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None

CVE References

CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68820
Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability msrc.microsoft.com · Vendor Advisory https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68820

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

Microsoft CVRF

Recorded 11 Aug 2026

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access

Source	Added
Microsoft CVRF First	2026-08-11 07:00 UTC
Tenable Blog	2026-08-11 18:04 UTC
CISA	2026-08-11 18:59 UTC
CVE	2026-08-11 20:01 UTC
Rapid7	2026-08-11 21:10 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets: 0
User-Agents: 0

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Scanner coverage

No scanner integrations recorded yet.

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

No detection artifacts or sensor request patterns are available for this CVE yet.

Check back as sensor telemetry and scanner integrations are updated.

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

7.0 High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

EPSS

0.3%

Weaknesses

Use After Free CWE-416

Recent mention · BleepingComputer

Lazarus hackers exploited Windows zero-day to target defense firms

North Korean hackers have been exploiting a Windows zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-68820) to target defense-sector companies as part of the Operation Dream Job campaign. [...]

Read full advisory

All Mentions

Recent mention · BleepingComputer

Lazarus hackers exploited Windows zero-day to target defense firms

BleepingComputer · 12 Aug 2026

North Korean hackers have been exploiting a Windows zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-68820) to target defense-sector companies as part of the Operation Dream Job campaign. [...]

Recent mention · Rapid7

Patch Tuesday - August 2026

Rapid7 · 11 Aug 2026

Microsoft is publishing 421 vulnerabilities on August 2026 Patch Tuesday, including 236 vulnerabilities in Windows. This is lower volume than last month’s record-breaking behemoth, but still one of the largest Patch Tuesday totals ever. There is no reason to suppose that Patch Tuesday will ever return to the lower volumes we saw prior to 2026. Microsoft is aware of exploitation in the wild for one of the vulnerabilities published today, as well as public disclosure for two others, although the Notable CVEs section of the Security Update Guide omits one of these. As usual, browser vulns are...

Recent mention · TheHackerNews

Microsoft Patches 398 Flaws Including a Windows Driver Zero-Day Under Active Attack

TheHackerNews · 11 Aug 2026

Microsoft released its monthly security updates on Tuesday, and one of the flaws it closed is already being used in attacks. The bug sits in a core Windows kernel driver that handles network socket operations. An attacker with code already running on a machine can use it to escalate to SYSTEM. That patch goes out first. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2026-68820 (CVSS score: 7.0) and is the only

Recent mention · Tenable Blog

Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday addresses 398 CVEs (CVE-2026-68820)

Tenable Blog · 11 Aug 2026

42Critical355Important1Moderate0LowMicrosoft addresses 398 CVEs in the eighth Patch Tuesday of 2026, with three zero-days, including one that was exploited in the wild.Microsoft patched 398 CVEs in its August 2026 Patch Tuesday release, with 42 rated critical, 355 rated as important and one rated as moderate. Our counts omitted two CVEs assigned by MITRE; CVE-2026-6726 and CVE-2026-6727.This month’s update includes patches for:.NET.NET Core.NET FrameworkAMD ZenActive Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)Application Information ServicesAzure Active DirectoryAzure CycleCloudAzure Monitor...

Recent mention · Tenable Blog

Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday Addresses 398 CVEs (CVE-2026-68820)

Tenable Blog · 11 Aug 2026

42Critical355Important1Moderate0LowMicrosoft addresses 398 CVEs in the eighth Patch Tuesday of 2026, with three zero-days, including one that was exploited in the wild.Microsoft patched 398 CVEs in its August 2026 Patch Tuesday release, with 42 rated critical, 355 rated as important and one rated as moderate. Our counts omitted two CVEs assigned by MITRE; CVE-2026-6726 and CVE-2026-6727.This month’s update includes patches for:.NET.NET Core.NET FrameworkAMD ZenActive Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)Application Information ServicesAzure Active DirectoryAzure CycleCloudAzure Monitor...

Recent mention · Check Point Blog

State Sponsored Hackers Use Fake Job Offers to Deliver New Zero Day Exploit

Check Point Blog · 11 Aug 2026

It typically begins the same way it has for years, with an approach from a recruiter offering a role at a company the target would recognize, accompanied by a PDF describing the position in convincing detail. That approach remains one of the most effective entry points used by state sponsored threat actors today, and Check Point Research has spent recent months tracking a new wave of it. Operation Dream Job, the long running campaign attributed to the North Korea affiliated Lazarus group, has resurfaced with a previously undisclosed Windows vulnerability (CVE-2026-68820), a newly identified...

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

11 Aug 2026
KEV confirmed by Rapid7

Exploitation attested by an external source
11 Aug 2026
KEV confirmed by CVE

Exploitation attested by an external source
11 Aug 2026
Added to CISA KEV

Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
11 Aug 2026
KEV confirmed by Tenable Blog

Exploitation attested by an external source
11 Aug 2026
CVE published

Vulnerability disclosed publicly
11 Aug 2026
Added to KEV Intelligence KEV Feed

High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation
31 Jul 2026
CVE ID reserved

Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

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Evidence confidence and provenance
First-party sensor telemetry
PoC and scanner references
Affected versions and enrichment
Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2026-68820

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields

{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2026-68820",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 7.0,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.00332,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}

CVE-2026-68820

What security teams need to know first

Windows 10 Version 1607

Tags

CVE References

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Exploited in the wild

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Observed signals

Scanner coverage

Virtual patch status

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

Weaknesses

Lazarus hackers exploited Windows zero-day to target defense firms

All Mentions

From disclosure to observed exploitation

KEV confirmed by Rapid7

KEV confirmed by CVE

Added to CISA KEV

KEV confirmed by Tenable Blog

CVE published

Added to KEV Intelligence KEV Feed

CVE ID reserved

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