CVE-2025-29838
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 · uneditedNull pointer dereference in Windows Drivers allows an unauthorized 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 confidenceA null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in Windows Drivers that allows a local unauthorized attacker to escalate privileges. The vulnerability occurs when the driver attempts to dereference a null pointer, potentially enabling the attacker to execute code in an elevated context or crash the kernel to cause a denial of service.
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< 10.0.26100.4061< 10.0.26100.4061CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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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Check Windows build numberOpen Command Prompt and run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"` to see the installed Windows buildAffected if Build number is less than 26100.4061 (for Windows 11 24h2 or Server 2025)
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Confirm Windows editionRun `systeminfo` or check System Properties to verify the exact Windows edition (Windows 11 24h2 or Windows Server 2025)Affected if Edition is Windows 11 24h2 or Windows Server 2025 with build below 26100.4061
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Identify affected kernel versionRun `ver` at command prompt or check the file version of ntoskrnl.exe at C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exeAffected if Kernel version shows build lower than 26100.4061
Your environment is affected if running Windows 11 24h2 or Windows Server 2025 with a build number below 26100.4061, as the vulnerable driver code exists in those versions.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.0.26100.4061
Apply vendor-supplied Windows updates or patches that address the affected driver(s). If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting driver loading policies or disabling non-essential drivers as a temporary workaround.
Windows 11 24h2 (build 10.0.26100.4061 or later) / Windows Server 2025 (build 10.0.26100.4061 or later)
- Check current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
- Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates, or manually download and install the security update for this vulnerability from Microsoft Update Catalog
- After installation, restart the system to apply the patch
- Verify the version is 10.0.26100.4061 or later by running 'winver'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-29838 — 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-2025-29838 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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- 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
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