dbcve.org
Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-55689

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

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Windows PrintWorkflowUserSvc service that enables a local attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw allows an authorized user to potentially gain SYSTEM-level access by exploiting memory corruption in the print workflow service.

MitigationApply the relevant Windows security update to patch the PrintWorkflowUserSvc vulnerability; validate through vulnerability scanning or patch management tools that all affected Windows systems are remediated.

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 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.6060
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

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 against affected ranges
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' and compare the build number to the affected versions: Windows 10 21h2 < 19044.6456, Windows 10 22h2 < 19045.6456, Windows 11 22h2 < 22621.6060, Windows 11 23h2 < 22631.6060, Windows 11 24h2 < 26100.6899, Windows 11 25h2 < 26200.6899, Server 2022 < 20348.4294, Server 2022 23h2 < 25398.1913
    Affected if The installed Windows build number falls below the specified threshold for your Windows version
  2. Verify PrintWorkflowUserSvc service exists
    Run 'Get-Service -Name PrintWorkflowUserSvc' in PowerShell or check Services.msc for the PrintWorkflowUserSvc service
    Affected if The PrintWorkflowUserSvc service is present on the system (the vulnerability exists in this specific service)
  3. Confirm service status and executable path
    Run 'sc qc PrintWorkflowUserSvc' to query the service configuration and verify the binary path points to the print workflow service
    Affected if The service is installed and points to the print workflow component (PrintWorkflowUserSvc.dll or related binaries)

A system is affected if it runs a Windows version below the specified build thresholds AND has the PrintWorkflowUserSvc service present, as the use-after-free vulnerability exists specifically within that service.

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 relevant Windows security update to patch the PrintWorkflowUserSvc vulnerability; validate through vulnerability scanning or patch management tools that all affected Windows systems are remediated.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install the corresponding Windows security update (KB) containing the fix for CVE-2025-55689 - minimum fixed versions listed in affected versions field

  1. Open Windows Settings and navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' and install all available security updates
  3. Alternatively, download the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog by searching for this CVE (CVE-2025-55689)
  4. After installation, restart the system to ensure the vulnerability is fully remediated
  5. Verify the installed Windows version meets or exceeds: 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, Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.6899, Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.4294, Windows Server 2022 23h2: 10.0.25398.1913
Caveat Standard Windows update risks apply - ensure critical workloads are backed up before applying updates in production environments

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

Fix this in Windows 10 21h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2025-55689 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