Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-24062

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19044.5737 / 10.0.19045.5737 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Improper input validation in Windows DWM Core Library allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

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 · moderate confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library caused by improper input validation. An authenticated attacker with local access can exploit this flaw to elevate their privileges on the affected system, potentially gaining administrator or SYSTEM-level access.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-24062 via Windows Update or deploy the patch through standard enterprise patch management processes. Prioritize workstations and servers with direct user access.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.5737
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.5737
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.5189
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.5189
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.3775
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.3453
Windows Server 2022 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.25398.1551
Windows Server 2025Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.3775

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Windows build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the installed Windows build version.
    Affected if The build number is lower than the fixed version for your Windows release (19044.5737 for 21h2, 19045.5737 for 22h2, 22621.5189 for 11 22h2, 22631.5189 for 11 23h2, 26100.3775 for 11 24h2/Server 2025, 20348.3453 for Server 2022, 25398.1551 for Server 2022 23h2).
  2. Verify DWM Core Library version
    Locate dwmcore.dll in System32 folder, right-click and view Properties, or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\dwmcore.dll).VersionInfo' to retrieve file version.
    Affected if The file version is lower than the patched version or the file shows no version info indicating it predates the security update.
  3. Confirm DWM is running
    Open Task Manager, go to Details tab, look for dwm.exe process, or run 'tasklist | findstr dwm' in command prompt.
    Affected if DWM is running and the system is on an affected Windows version below the fixed builds.
  4. Check for security update installation
    Run 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -eq "Security Update"} | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10' to list recent security updates, or check Windows Update history.
    Affected if No security update for CVE-2025-24062 (released April 2025) is listed in the installed updates.

A system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows version within the affected build ranges and the CVE-2025-24062 security update has not been installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.0.19044.5737 / 10.0.19045.5737 / 10.0.20348.3453 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19044.573710.0.19045.573710.0.20348.3453
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-24062 via Windows Update or deploy the patch through standard enterprise patch management processes. Prioritize workstations and servers with direct user access.

Recommended fix High confidence

May 2025 Windows Security Updates (KBxxxxxx) - specific KB number varies by Windows version; all affected systems require the May 2025 monthly security rollup or later

  1. Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or checking System Properties
  2. Determine the specific Windows build number (e.g., using 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"')
  3. Apply the appropriate May 2025 Windows Security Update (or later) from Windows Update, Microsoft Update Catalog, or WSUS
  4. Alternatively, enable automatic Windows Updates to receive the security patch automatically
  5. After installation, verify the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
  6. Restart the system as required to complete the update installation
  7. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by checking the installed updates for the May 2025 security update containing the CVE fix
Caveat Standard Windows monthly update - minimal risk; ensure backups of critical data before any system updates

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 21h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-24062 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-24062 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data