dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-62565

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.14393.8688 / 10.0.17763.8146 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 Shell 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 in Windows Shell permits a locally authorized attacker to escalate privileges. The flaw involves improper memory management where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially allowing execution with elevated permissions.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell when available; until then, limit local user privileges and monitor for suspicious process creation or shell component behavior.

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 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.8688
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.8146
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.6691
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.6691
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.6345
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.7392
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.7392
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.8688

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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. Identify Windows version and build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the exact Windows build
    Affected if The displayed build number falls below any of these thresholds: 14393.8688 (Win10 1607/Server 2016), 17763.8146 (Win10 1809), 19044.6691 (Win10 21h2), 19045.6691 (Win10 22h2), 22631.6345 (Win11 23h2), 26100.7392 (Win11 24h2), 26200.7392 (Win11 25h2)
  2. Confirm Windows Shell component is present
    Verify explorer.exe process is running or check for presence of shell32.dll in System32 folder (typically at C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll)
    Affected if The Windows Shell component (explorer.exe or shell32.dll) exists and is actively used, which is the default configuration on affected Windows versions
  3. Check if local user account access is available
    Review local user accounts via 'net user' or Computer Management > Local Users and Groups
    Affected if The attacker would need an authorized local user account to exploit this flaw, so any environment with local user accounts present is potentially at risk if the version is vulnerable
  4. Review installed security updates
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for recent Shell-related patches
    Affected if No security update addressing CVE-2025-62565 for Windows Shell has been installed, leaving the version vulnerable

You are affected if your Windows version build number is below the thresholds listed for your specific Windows release and the Windows Shell component is in use.

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 10.0.14393.8688 / 10.0.17763.8146 / 10.0.19044.6691 or later
Fixed in 10.0.14393.868810.0.17763.814610.0.19044.6691
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell when available; until then, limit local user privileges and monitor for suspicious process creation or shell component behavior.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1607/Server 2016: build 10.0.14393.8688 or later | Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8146 or later | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.6691 or later | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.6691 or later | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6345 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.7392

  1. Open Settings on the Windows system
  2. Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest cumulative update
  4. Ensure the installed build number meets or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release: Windows 10 1607/Server 2016: 10.0.14393.8688, Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8146, Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.6691, Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.6691, Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.6345, Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.7392, Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.7392
  5. Restart the system if prompted to complete the update installation
  6. Verify the update was installed by checking winver or System Information to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version
Caveat Standard Windows Update applies monthly cumulative updates; ensure compatibility testing for mission-critical systems before deployment in production

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1607 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2025-62565 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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