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Response snapshot Oct 26, 2026, 22:09 UTC

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Advisoryproject-zero-windows-administrator-protection-c89ad05b567c

Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access

In my last blog post I introduced the new Windows feature, Administrator Protection and how it aimed to create a secure boundary for UAC where one didn’t exist. I described one of the ways I was able to bypass the feature before it was released.

At a glance

Sources
1 source

What to do

Read the exact official research article before applying its defensive techniques or drawing conclusions.

Read Google Project Zero Research: Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access (opens a new tab)

What happened

In my last blog post I introduced the new Windows feature, Administrator Protection and how it aimed to create a secure boundary for UAC where one didn’t exist. I described one of the ways I was able to bypass the feature before it was released. In total I found 9 bypasses during my research that have now all been fixed.

In this blog post I wanted to describe the root cause of 5 of those 9 issues, specifically the implementation of UI Access, how this has been a long standing problem with UAC that’s been under-appreciated, and how it’s being fixed now. A Question of Accessibility Prior to Windows Vista any process running on a user’s desktop could control any window created by another, such as by sending window messages.

This behavior could be abused if a privileged user, such as SYSTEM, displayed a user interface on the desktop. A limited user could control the UI and potentially elevate privileges. This was referred to as a Shatter Attack, and was usually fixed by removing user interface components from privileged code.

Sources

  1. Primary source

    Google Project Zero Research: Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access (opens a new tab)

    Exact official article/advisory identified by the feed; title, source dates, and any supplied article excerpt.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    Google Project Zero Research syndication feed (opens a new tab)

    The RSS/Atom/RDF entry supplied this exact link and any available title, date, and excerpt.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, February 12). Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access. https://kevwire.com/record/project-zero-windows-administrator-protection-c89ad05b567c

MLA

"Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access." KEVWire, 12 Feb. 2026, kevwire.com/record/project-zero-windows-administrator-protection-c89ad05b567c.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access." Last modified February 12, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/project-zero-windows-administrator-protection-c89ad05b567c.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access (Feb 12, 2026).
In my last blog post I introduced the new Windows feature, Administrator Protection and how it aimed to create a secure boundary for UAC where one didn’t exist. I described one of the ways I was able to bypass the feature before it was released. In total I found 9 bypasses during my research that have now all been fixed. In this blog post I wanted to describe the root cause of 5 of those 9 issues, specifically the implementation of UI Access, how this has been a long standing problem with UAC that’s been under-appreciated, and how it’s being fixed now. A Question of Accessibility Prior to Windows Vista any process running on a user’s desktop could control any window created by another, such as by sending window messages. This behavior could be abused if a privileged user, such as SYSTEM, displayed a user interface on the desktop. A limited user could control the UI and potentially elevate privileges. This was referred to as a Shatter Attack, and was usually fixed by removing user interface components from privileged code.
Sources:
Google Project Zero Research: Bypassing Administrator Protection by Abusing UI Access: https://projectzero.google/2026/02/windows-administrator-protection.html
Google Project Zero Research syndication feed: https://projectzero.google/feed.xml
Record ID: project-zero-windows-administrator-protection-c89ad05b567c.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 26, 2026, 21:35 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

This is an excerpt of official research, not a reproduced result or evidence of exposure to a scored vulnerability.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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