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Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-59255

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.17763.7919 / 10.0.19044.6456 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
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows DWM Core Library 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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library that allows a locally authorized attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw allows memory corruption that can be exploited to gain higher-level system access.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for CVE-2025-59255 as soon as they become available through Windows Update. Implement least-privilege principles and restrict local administrative access to reduce attack surface.

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:< 10.0.17763.7919
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 2019Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7919

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 build version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to get the full build number including the revision (e.g., 10.0.17763.7919)
    Affected if The build number is lower than the threshold for your Windows version (see affected ranges: 17763.7919 for 1809/Server 2019, 19044.6456 for 21h2, 19045.6456 for 22h2, 22621.6060 for 11 22h2, 22631.6060 for 11 23h2, 26100.6899 for 11 24h2, 26200.6899 for 11 25h2)
  2. Verify DWM Core Library version
    Open File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\, right-click dwmcore.dll, select Properties, then view the Details tab for the File version
    Affected if The file version is lower than the patched version corresponding to your Windows build (e.g., for 10.0.17763.x builds, look for version below 10.0.17763.7919)

You are affected if your Windows build number is lower than the minimum version listed for your specific Windows release, indicating an unpatched DWM Core Library vulnerable to heap-based buffer overflow.

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 10.0.17763.7919 / 10.0.19044.6456 / 10.0.19045.6456 or later
Fixed in 10.0.17763.791910.0.19044.645610.0.19045.6456
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security patches for CVE-2025-59255 as soon as they become available through Windows Update. Implement least-privilege principles and restrict local administrative access to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

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+), Windows 11 25h2 (10.0.26200.6899+), Windows Server 2019 (10.0.17763.7919+)

  1. Open Settings on the Windows system and navigate to Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to ensure the system can receive the latest patches
  3. Install all available updates, particularly the security update containing the fix for CVE-2025-59255
  4. Alternatively, download the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog corresponding to the affected Windows version
  5. Restart the system after installing updates to apply the DWM Core Library fix
  6. Verify the installed Windows version matches or exceeds the fixed build number for your version (1809: 17763.7919, 21h2: 19044.6456, 22h2: 19045.6456, 11 22h2: 22621.6060, 11 23h2: 22631.6060 or later, 11 24h2: 26100.6899, 11 25h2: 26200.6899, Server 2019: 17763.7919)
Caveat Standard Windows update risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating production systems

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
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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-2025-59255 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