Widely deployed Windows Deployment Services; network RCE on Windows Server infra could impact many organizations.
CVE-2026-42987
Use-after-free in Windows Deployment Services enables network RCE.
Is CVE-2026-42987 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-42987 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.59% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-42987?
CVE-2026-42987 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.1. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-42987?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-42987. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-42987 affect?
CVE-2026-42987 affects Windows Deployment Services (WDS), Windows Server. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-42987?
Apply latest Windows updates to fix WDS UAF; review network exposure.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution via network due to WDS use-after-free; attacker could take control of the server.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 6.2.9200.0 and < 6.2.9200.26132
- affected>= 6.3.9600.0 and < 6.3.9600.23228
- affected>= 6.3.9600.0 and < 6.3.9600.23228
- affected>= 6.2.9200.0 and < 6.2.9200.26132
- affected>= 10.0.14393.0 and < 10.0.14393.9234
- affected>= 10.0.14393.0 and < 10.0.14393.9234
- affected>= 10.0.17763.0 and < 10.0.17763.8880
- affected>= 10.0.17763.0 and < 10.0.17763.8880
- affected>= 10.0.20348.0 and < 10.0.20348.5256
- affected>= 10.0.26100.0 and < 10.0.26100.32995
- affected>= 10.0.26100.0 and < 10.0.26100.32995
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.