dbcve.org
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-59278

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.10240.21161 / 10.0.14393.8519 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
Improper validation of specified type of input in Windows Authentication Methods 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

Improper input validation in Windows Authentication Methods allows a locally authorized attacker to elevate privileges by exploiting insufficient validation of specific input types within the authentication subsystem. This local privilege escalation vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain higher integrity level access.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates addressing CVE-2025-59278 when released, and verify that local user account privileges adhere to least-privilege principles as a defense-in-depth measure.

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 1507Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.10240.21161
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.8519
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

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 version and build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to see the installed Windows version and build number
    Affected if The build number is lower than 10240.21161 for Windows 10 1507, 14393.8519 for Windows 10 1607, 17763.7919 for Windows 10 1809, 19044.6456 for Windows 10 21h2, 19045.6456 for Windows 10 22h2, 22621.6060 for Windows 11 22h2, 22631.6060 for Windows 11 23h2, or 26100.6899 for Windows 11 24h2
  2. Identify exact Windows edition and build
    Run 'winver' and note the full version string (for example, 'Version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.5007)')
    Affected if The OS Build number falls below the affected thresholds listed in the CVE for that specific Windows release
  3. Confirm local user authentication is in use
    Open Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc) or run 'net user' to list local user accounts
    Affected if Local user accounts exist on the system, as the vulnerability exploits insufficient validation in the Windows authentication subsystem for local authentication scenarios

If the Windows build number is below the thresholds listed for your Windows version, the system is running a vulnerable version of the authentication subsystem and is affected by this CVE.

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 10.0.10240.21161 / 10.0.14393.8519 / 10.0.17763.7919 or later
Fixed in 10.0.10240.2116110.0.14393.851910.0.17763.7919
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates addressing CVE-2025-59278 when released, and verify that local user account privileges adhere to least-privilege principles as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install the appropriate October 2025 Windows Security Update (KBxxxxxxxx) for your specific Windows version and build

  1. Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Determine which version branch your system is on (e.g., Windows 10 22h2, Windows 11 23h2, etc.)
  3. Apply the appropriate security update for your Windows version from Microsoft Update Catalog or Windows Update
  4. For Windows 10 1507 systems, upgrade to build 10.0.10240.21161 or later
  5. For Windows 10 1607 systems, upgrade to build 10.0.14393.8519 or later
  6. For Windows 10 1809 systems, upgrade to build 10.0.17763.7919 or later
  7. For Windows 10 21h2 systems, upgrade to build 10.0.19044.6456 or later
  8. For Windows 10 22h2 systems, upgrade to build 10.0.19045.6456 or later
Caveat Standard Windows security update with no expected breaking changes; may require restart

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1507 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

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-2025-59278 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