CVE-2025-55678
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 · uneditedUse after free in Windows DirectX 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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Windows DirectX enables a locally authenticated attacker to elevate privileges by exploiting memory that is accessed after being freed. This is a memory corruption bug in the DirectX graphics subsystem that can be triggered through local code execution.
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< 10.0.10240.21161< 10.0.14393.8519< 10.0.17763.7919< 10.0.19044.6456< 10.0.19045.6456< 10.0.22621.6060<= 10.0.22631.6060< 10.0.26100.6899CVSS 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 version and build numberRun 'winver' to see the full version and build, or use 'systeminfo' and locate the OS Version line which shows the build number (for example, 10.0.19045.5007)Affected if The build number is lower than the fixed version for your specific Windows release: 10.0.10240.21161 or below for Windows 10 1507, 10.0.14393.8519 or below for 1607, 10.0.17763.7919 or below for 1809, 10.0.19044.6456 or below for 21h2, 10.0.19045.6456 or below for 22h2, 10.0.22621.6060 or below for
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Confirm DirectX graphics subsystem is availableRun 'dxdiag' from the Run dialog or command prompt; the tool will load and display DirectX version and driver information if the subsystem is presentAffected if DirectX diagnostic tool runs successfully and displays driver information, indicating the DirectX graphics kernel is loaded (this is true for most standard Windows installations)
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Identify presence of local user accountsOpen Command Prompt and run 'net user' to list all local user accounts, or open Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)Affected if Any local user accounts exist on the system (the vulnerability requires a locally authenticated attacker to trigger the use-after-free)
The environment is affected if the Windows build version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges listed AND the system has local user accounts that could execute code to trigger the DirectX use-after-free flaw.
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 · scoped10.0.10240.2116110.0.14393.851910.0.17763.7919
Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows when available; until then, limit local user privileges and monitor for suspicious graphics-related processes. Restrict interactive logon access to trusted users only.
Windows 10 1507: 10.0.10240.21161 | Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.8519 | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.7919 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.6456 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.6456 | Windows 11 22h2: 10.0.22621.6060 | Windows 11 23h2: >10.0.22631.6060 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.6899
- Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
- Determine which Windows 10 or Windows 11 version branch you are on (1507, 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, 23h2, or 24h2)
- Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates, or manually download the appropriate cumulative update for your version from the Microsoft Update Catalog
- Install the security update that corresponds to your Windows version: For Windows 10 1507 upgrade to build 10.0.10240.21161 or later; For Windows 10 1607 upgrade to build 10.0.14393.8519 or later; For Windows 10 1809 upgrade to build 10.0.17763.7919 or later; For Windows 10 21h2 upgrade to build 10.0.19044.6456 or later; For Windows 10 22h2 upgrade to build 10.0.19045.6456 or later; For Windows 11
- Restart the system after applying the update
- Verify the update was successful by checking Windows Update history or running 'winver' to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your branch
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-55678 — 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-2025-55678 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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