CVE-2026-12168
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn improper validation vulnerability for driver `GFAC_Sys_x64.sys` in Little Orbit GFAC allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM and execute arbitrary code in kernel mode via crafted messages sent through a Minifilter communication port.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis is an improper input validation vulnerability in the Windows kernel driver GFAC_Sys_x64.sys (a Minifilter filter driver) used by Little Orbit GFAC software. A local attacker can send specially crafted messages through the Minifilter communication port to bypass validation checks, achieve privilege escalation to SYSTEM level, and execute arbitrary code in kernel mode.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the GFAC_Sys_x64.sys driver fileSearch the filesystem for GFAC_Sys_x64.sys: use 'Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse -Filter GFAC_Sys_x64.sys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue' in PowerShell or 'dir /s C:\GFAC_Sys_x64.sys' in Command PromptAffected if The driver file exists on the system - this indicates the vulnerable component is present
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Retrieve the driver file versionRight-click the driver file, select Properties > Details, or use PowerShell: '(Get-Item "C:\path\to\GFAC_Sys_x64.sys").VersionInfo' to read the FileVersion and ProductVersion fieldsAffected if The driver version matches or precedes the known vulnerable version (compare against vendor release notes for the patched version)
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Check if the driver is currently loadedRun 'fltmc filters' in Command Prompt or 'Get-Command *flt*' in PowerShell to list loaded Minifilter drivers; look for a filter instance named GFAC or associated with Little Orbit GFACAffected if The driver is actively loaded and running as a Minifilter driver - the vulnerability is exploitable in this state
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Inspect the Minifilter communication portUse 'fltmc instances' to list active Minifilter instances and their communication ports; verify whether the GFAC communication port is exposed or accessible to non-admin usersAffected if The Minifilter communication port exists and is accessible to low-privilege users, allowing them to send crafted messages to the driver
A system is affected if GFAC_Sys_x64.sys is present, matches a vulnerable version, and the driver is loaded with an accessible communication port enabling local privilege escalation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-supplied patch for GFAC_Sys_x64.sys to fix the validation logic in the driver; until patch available, consider compensating controls such as restricting access to the Minifilter communication port or disabling the driver if possible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-12168 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-12168 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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