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Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-55686

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19044.6456 / 10.0.19045.6456 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 PrintWorkflowUserSvc 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 Windows PrintWorkflowUserSvc (Windows Print Workflow User Service) enables a local authenticated attacker to elevate privileges to higher system permissions. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management in the print workflow service component.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-55686 to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize workstations and servers running the PrintWorkflowUserSvc, then validate print workflow functionality post-patch.

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 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.6456
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.6456
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.6060
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.6899
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.6899
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.4294
Windows Server 2022 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.25398.1913
Windows Server 2025Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.6899

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 if PrintWorkflowUserSvc service exists
    Open Services (services.msc) or run `Get-Service PrintWorkflowUserSvc` in PowerShell to see if the Windows Print Workflow User Service is present on the system
    Affected if The service does not exist - the vulnerability only applies if the service is installed and running
  2. Verify Windows version and build number
    Run `winver` or execute `Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object OsVersion,OsBuildNumber,WindowsVersion` in PowerShell to obtain the exact Windows build number
    Affected if The installed build number falls below the minimum fixed version for your Windows release (19044.6456 for 21h2, 19045.6456 for 22h2, 22631.6060 for 11 23h2, 26100.6899 for 11 24h2/Server 2025, 26200.6899 for 11 25h2, 20348.4294 for Server 2022, 25398.1913 for Server 2022 23h2)
  3. Confirm service is enabled to run
    Check the service startup type by running `Get-Service PrintWorkflowUserSvc | Select-Object Name,Status,StartType` in PowerShell
    Affected if The service is in a Running state - the vulnerability is only exploitable when the service is active

A system is affected if the PrintWorkflowUserSvc service is present and running on a Windows version with a build number lower than the minimum fixed version for that 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 10.0.19044.6456 / 10.0.19045.6456 / 10.0.20348.4294 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19044.645610.0.19045.645610.0.20348.4294
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-55686 to all affected Windows systems. Prioritize workstations and servers running the PrintWorkflowUserSvc, then validate print workflow functionality post-patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.6456 or later | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.6456 or later | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6060 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.6899 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.6899 or later | Windows Server 2022: build 10.0.20348.4294 or late

  1. Open Windows Settings and navigate to Windows Update, or use the Windows Update standalone installer
  2. Check for updates and install the latest cumulative update for your Windows version
  3. Alternatively, download the specific KB update from the Microsoft Update Catalog matching your Windows version and OS build
  4. Restart the system after installing the update
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking the OS build number in Settings > System > About
Caveat Standard Windows update; may require restart and could include other cumulative updates

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

Fix this in Windows 10 21h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2025-55686 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