dbcve.org
Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-55223

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.17763.7792 / 10.0.19044.6332 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
Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Graphics Kernel 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 race condition vulnerability exists in the Graphics Kernel where concurrent execution of threads accessing shared resources lacks proper synchronization. An authorized local attacker can exploit this timing-sensitive flaw to manipulate shared state and elevate privileges to higher permission levels.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for the Graphics Kernel once available; in the interim, limit local access to untrusted users and monitor for unusual graphics driver activity.

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 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7792
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.6332
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.6332
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.5909
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.5909
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.6508
Windows Server 2019Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7792
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.4106

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 build version
    Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run: `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to obtain the full build number (e.g., 10.0.19045.6332)
    Affected if The displayed build number is lower than the threshold for your Windows version (see summary for thresholds)
  2. Verify exact KB patch status
    Open PowerShell and run: `Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -like "Security*"} | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10` to list recently installed security updates
    Affected if No security update matching the Graphics Kernel patch (CVE-2025-55223) is listed in recent installations and the OS version falls below the affected thresholds
  3. Confirm Windows edition and build manually
    Run `winmic get os` in Command Prompt or check System Properties to confirm the exact build number (e.g., 10.0.22631.5909 for Windows 11 23h2)
    Affected if The build number is below 10.0.17763.7792 (Win 10 1809/Server 2019), 10.0.19044.6332 (Win 10 21h2), 10.0.19045.6332 (Win 10 22h2), 10.0.22621.5909 (Win 11 22h2), 10.0.22631.5909 (Win 11 23h2), 10.0.26100.6508 (Win 11 24h2), or 10.0.20348.4106 (Server 2022)
  4. Check graphics kernel driver loaded
    Run `driverquery /v | findstr -i "graphics"` or check Device Manager under Display adapters to confirm graphics drivers are active
    Affected if The system uses graphics drivers and the OS version is below the patched thresholds (vulnerability exists in the graphics kernel component)

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions/builds AND has not received the CVE-2025-55223 security patch, meaning the build number falls below the specified threshold for that Windows release.

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 10.0.17763.7792 / 10.0.19044.6332 / 10.0.19045.6332 or later
Fixed in 10.0.17763.779210.0.19044.633210.0.19045.6332
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches for the Graphics Kernel once available; in the interim, limit local access to untrusted users and monitor for unusual graphics driver activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply the May 2025 Windows Security Update (KB506XXXX) for your specific Windows version from Microsoft Update Catalog

  1. Identify your current Windows version and build number by running `winver` or `systeminfo` from the command prompt
  2. Open Windows Update by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Check for updates and install any available security updates for May 2025 (the month containing this CVE fix)
  4. Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
  5. Verify the update was successfully applied by running `winver` and confirming the build number matches or exceeds: 10.0.17763.7792 (Win 10 1809/Server 2019), 10.0.19044.6332 (Win 10 21h2), 10.0.19045.6332 (Win 10 22h2), 10.0.22621.5909 (Win 11 22h2), 10.0.22631.5909 (Win 11 23h2), 10.0.26100.6508 (Win 11 24h2), or 10.0.20348.4106 (Server 2022)
Caveat Standard Windows security update with no expected breaking changes; as a local privilege escalation fix, this should be applied immediately

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,776.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-55223 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-55223 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