CVE-2026-20814
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 · uneditedConcurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Graphics Kernel allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
In the news
Third-party coverage- Microsoft CVE Summary - Bleeping Computer
- Microsoft January 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 3 zero-days, 114 flaws
Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 race condition vulnerability exists in the Graphics Kernel component where improper synchronization of shared resources allows a locally authorized attacker to execute code with elevated privileges. The flaw involves concurrent execution scenarios where the kernel fails to properly serialize access to sensitive resources.
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< 10.0.14393.8783< 10.0.17763.8276< 10.0.19044.6809< 10.0.19045.6809< 10.0.22631.6491< 10.0.26100.7623< 10.0.26200.7623< 10.0.14393.8783CVSS 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.
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Retrieve Windows version and 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 displayed build number falls below any of these thresholds: 14393.8783, 17763.8276, 19044.6809, 19045.6809, 22631.6491, 26100.7623, or 26200.7623 depending on your Windows edition and release
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Confirm Windows edition matches affected product listRun 'winver' or check System Properties to identify if the system is Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, Windows 11 23h2/24h2/25h2, or Windows Server 2016Affected if The system runs any of the listed affected Windows editions or Server versions
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Verify Graphics Kernel component is loadedCheck that the win32k.sys driver is loaded by running 'driverquery /v | findstr win32k' or checking Task Manager under the Drivers tab for win32k.sysAffected if The system has a graphics subsystem (this is typically true for all Windows desktop installations and Windows Server with Desktop Experience) and the vulnerability is exploitable through that component
The environment is affected if the Windows version and build number are lower than the fixed version thresholds for the corresponding Windows edition, and the graphics kernel component is present and active on the system.
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 · scoped10.0.14393.878310.0.17763.827610.0.19044.6809
Apply vendor-provided patches for the graphics kernel component. Prioritize systems where local users have access to graphics-intensive applications, as the attacker requires local access and authorization.
Windows 10 1607: build 10.0.14393.8783 | Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8276 | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.6809 | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.6809 | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6491 | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.7623 | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.7623 | Windows Serve
- Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
- Install all pending Windows security updates, which will include the fix for CVE-2026-20814
- Restart the system when prompted to complete the update installation
- Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history for the relevant security patch
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-2026-20814 — 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-2026-20814 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
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- 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
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