CVE-2026-57973 | Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) Kernel Tampering Vulnerability

Time-of-check time-of-use (toctou) race condition in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an authorized attacker to perform tampering locally.

Published: 2026-07-14 Last update: 2026-07-15 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Awaiting Analysis，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-57973 is rated Low Risk (27.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.16%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-57973

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-07-15 — 0.16% —

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-57973

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.3 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 1.0 5.2 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-57973

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-57973

GHSA-32j5-g8f9-jjh7 · Severity: medium — Time-of-check time-of-use (toctou) race condition in Windows Subsystem for Linux allows an...

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-57973

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft windows_subsystem_for_linux >= 5.0.0.0, < 2.7.10 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:windows_subsystem_for_linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-57973

cvelogic Threat Intelligence