CVE-2025-55693
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 Kernel allows an unauthorized 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 exists in the Windows Kernel that allows a local unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw involves improper memory management where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges.
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< 10.0.26100.6899< 10.0.26200.6899< 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.
-
Check Windows build numberOpen Command Prompt and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to display the installed Windows version and build numberAffected if The build number displayed is below 10.0.26100.6899 for Windows 11 24h2 or Windows Server 2025, or below 10.0.26200.6899 for Windows 11 25h2
-
Confirm Windows editionRun 'winver' to see if the system reports as Windows 11 version 24h2, Windows 11 version 25h2, or Windows Server 2025Affected if The system is one of these three editions and the build number is in the vulnerable range
-
Verify kernel version via registryOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion, or run 'wmic os get Version,BuildNumber' to retrieve the exact kernel build numberAffected if The BuildNumber value is less than 26100.6899 for Windows 11 24h2/Server 2025, or less than 26200.6899 for Windows 11 25h2
The system is affected only if it is running Windows 11 24h2, Windows 11 25h2, or Windows Server 2025 with a build number below the respective threshold for each version.
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 · scoped10.0.26100.689910.0.26200.6899
Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Kernel when released. Prioritize patching endpoint systems, especially those with direct user access. Monitor for indicators of local privilege escalation attempts.
Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.6899 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.6899 or later | Windows Server 2025: build 10.0.26100.6899 or later
- Open Windows Settings and navigate to Windows Update
- Check for updates to receive the latest security patches
- Alternatively, manually check Microsoft Update Catalog for KB articles related to CVE-2025-55693
- Install the corresponding security update for your Windows version
- Restart the system to apply the kernel-level security update
- Verify the update was installed by checking the OS build number matches or exceeds 10.0.26100.6899 (24h2/Server 2025) or 10.0.26200.6899 (25h2)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-55693 — 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-2025-55693 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
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.
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.
- 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