dbcve.org
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-53718

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.10240.21100 / 10.0.14393.8330 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Use after free in Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock 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

Use-after-free vulnerability in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver (AFD) for WinSock enables a local authenticated attacker to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level by exploiting improper memory management in the kernel-mode driver.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update for this vulnerability (KB reference required) to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize patching domain controllers and systems with high privilege access given the local privilege escalation vector.

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:< 10.0.10240.21100
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.8330
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7678
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.6216
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.6216
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.5768
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.5768
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.4851

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check Windows version and build number
    Run 'winver' from command prompt or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to get the exact Windows edition, version, and build number
    Affected if The displayed build number falls below any of these thresholds: 10.0.10240.21100 (Win10 1507), 10.0.14393.8330 (Win10 1607), 10.0.17763.7678 (Win10 1809), 10.0.19044.6216 (Win10 21h2), 10.0.19045.6216 (Win10 22h2), 10.0.22621.5768 (Win11 22h2), 10.0.22631.5768 (Win11 23h2), or 10.0.26100.4851 (Win11
  2. Confirm AFD driver presence
    Verify the AFD.sys driver exists by running 'dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\afd.sys' in an elevated command prompt
    Affected if The file exists (this is normal for Windows systems with WinSock support; the vulnerability is in the driver code itself, not its presence)
  3. Check if system has recent security updates
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history to see installed security updates, looking for the patch date corresponding to this CVE
    Affected if No security update addressing this CVE is installed and the Windows version falls within the affected range from step 1

A system is affected if it runs any Windows 10 or 11 version with a build number lower than the fixed versions listed and lacks the corresponding security update for this vulnerability.

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 10.0.10240.21100 / 10.0.14393.8330 / 10.0.17763.7678 or later
Fixed in 10.0.10240.2110010.0.14393.833010.0.17763.7678
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft security update for this vulnerability (KB reference required) to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize patching domain controllers and systems with high privilege access given the local privilege escalation vector.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1507 to build 10.0.10240.21100 | Windows 10 1607 to build 10.0.14393.8330 | Windows 10 1809 to build 10.0.17763.7678 | Windows 10 21h2 to build 10.0.19044.6216 | Windows 10 22h2 to build 10.0.19045.6216 | Windows 11 22h2 to build 10.0.22621.5768 | Windows 11 23h2 to build 10.0.22631.5768

  1. Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
  2. Determine which affected version range your current Windows installation falls into from the list: 1507, 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, 22h2 (Win11), 23h2 (Win11), or 24h2 (Win11)
  3. Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates, or run 'ms-settings:windowsupdate'
  4. Install all available security updates. The fix is included in the monthly cumulative updates for the respective Windows version
  5. After updates install, verify the build number meets or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release: 10.0.10240.21100 (1507), 10.0.14393.8330 (1607), 10.0.17763.7678 (1809), 10.0.19044.6216 (21h2), 10.0.19045.6216 (22h2), 10.0.22621.5768 (Win11 22h2), 10.0.22631.5768 (Win11 23h2), or 10.0.26100.4851 (Win11 24h2)
  6. Restart the system to complete the update installation
Caveat Standard Windows update risks apply - ensure backups of critical data before applying updates

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2025-53718 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