dbcve.org
Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-55236

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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
Time-of-check time-of-use (toctou) race condition in Graphics Kernel allows an authorized attacker to execute code 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 time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the Graphics Kernel allows an authorized local attacker to execute arbitrary code by exploiting the race window between security checks and resource usage.

MitigationApply vendor-provided security patches for the Graphics Kernel; prioritize patching on systems where untrusted local users have access given this is a 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 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
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 10 version and build number
    Run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to view the installed Windows 10 version and build number
    Affected if The build number is less than 10.0.17763.7792 (Windows 10 1809), 10.0.19044.6332 (Windows 10 21h2), or 10.0.19045.6332 (Windows 10 22h2)
  2. Check Windows 11 version and build number
    Run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to view the installed Windows 11 version and build number
    Affected if The build number is less than 10.0.22621.5909 (Windows 11 22h2), 10.0.22631.5909 (Windows 11 23h2), or 10.0.26100.6508 (Windows 11 24h2)
  3. Check Windows Server version and build number
    Run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to view the installed Windows Server version and build number
    Affected if The build number is less than 10.0.17763.7792 (Windows Server 2019) or 10.0.20348.4106 (Windows Server 2022)
  4. Confirm Graphics Kernel is present
    Verify the system has graphics capabilities by checking for presence of graphics drivers or the graphics kernel subsystem (dxgkrnl.sys exists at %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\dxgkrnl.sys)
    Affected if The Graphics Kernel driver is present on the system; the vulnerability exists in this component

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions with a build number lower than the corresponding fixed build number, and the Graphics Kernel is present.

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 security patches for the Graphics Kernel; prioritize patching on systems where untrusted local users have access given this is a local privilege escalation vector.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install the latest Windows Security Update containing the fix; for Windows 10 1809/Windows Server 2019 use build 10.0.17763.7792 or higher, for Windows 10 21h2 use build 10.0.19044.6332 or higher, for Windows 10 22h2 use build 10.0.19045.6332 or higher, for Windows 11 22h2 use build 10.0.22621.5909

  1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
  2. Install all available security updates, particularly the KB corresponding to this CVE (check MSRC for the specific KB number)
  3. Alternatively, manually download and install the security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog for your specific Windows version
  4. Restart the computer after installing the update
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history or running winver to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
Caveat Standard Windows security update with no expected breaking changes; as a local privilege escalation vulnerability, apply at earliest convenience

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2025-55236 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