dbcve.org
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-26688

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.10240.20978 / 10.0.14393.7969 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
Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Virtual Hard Drive 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

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Microsoft Virtual Hard Drive that allows a local, authorized attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw occurs when the Virtual Hard Drive component improperly handles memory on the stack, enabling an attacker with local access to execute arbitrary code with elevated permissions.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-26688 via Windows Update or Microsoft Update Catalog. Prioritize patching systems where untrusted users have local access, as this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 1507Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.10240.20978
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.7969
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7136
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

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 your Windows version
    Run 'winver' from the Start menu or execute 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' in Command Prompt. Compare the build number to the affected ranges: 1507 (<10.0.10240.20978), 1607 (<10.0.14393.7969), 1809 (<10.0.17763.7136), 21h2 (<10.0.19044.5737), 22h2 (<10.0.19045.5737), 11 22h2 (<10.0.22621.5189), 11 23h2 (<10.0.22631.5189), 11 24h2 (<10.0.26100.3775)
    Affected if Your Windows build number falls below the version threshold for your specific Windows release (10 or 11, and its specific version/feature update)
  2. Verify Virtual Hard Drive component is present
    Check for the presence of VHD mounting capability by opening Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) or try mounting a VHDX file via PowerShell command 'Mount-VHD -Path test.vhdx -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue' if you have a test VHD file available
    Affected if The system can mount VHD or VHDX virtual hard disk images, indicating the Virtual Hard Drive component is installed and functional
  3. Confirm VHD-related system files exist
    Inspect the Windows VHD system files. Check for the existence of %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\vhd.sys or search for vhd*.sys in the drivers directory using 'dir %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\vhd*'
    Affected if VHD system driver files are present on the system, confirming the vulnerable component is installed

You are affected if your Windows version is below the threshold for your specific Windows release AND the Virtual Hard Drive component is present and functional on your system.

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 10.0.10240.20978 / 10.0.14393.7969 / 10.0.17763.7136 or later
Fixed in 10.0.10240.2097810.0.14393.796910.0.17763.7136
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-26688 via Windows Update or Microsoft Update Catalog. Prioritize patching systems where untrusted users have local access, as this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the latest Windows security update containing the CVE-2025-26688 patch; for each affected release, install the update that brings the build to: Windows 10 1507 (10.0.10240.20978+), Windows 10 1607 (10.0.14393.7969+), Windows 10 1809 (10.0.17763.7136+), Windows 10 21h2 (10.0.19044.5737+),

  1. Open Windows Settings and navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  3. Alternatively, manually update by downloading the specific KB from Microsoft Update Catalog for your Windows version
  4. Restart the system after updates are installed
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking the installed updates (run 'appwiz.cpl' and view installed updates)
  6. Confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release (e.g., for Windows 10 22h2, verify build >= 10.0.19045.5737)
Caveat Standard Windows update; no breaking changes expected for this security patch

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1507 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-26688 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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