CVE-2026-20935
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 · uneditedUntrusted pointer dereference in Windows Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) Enclave allows an unauthorized attacker to disclose information locally.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced 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 confidenceThis vulnerability is an untrusted pointer dereference flaw in Windows Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) Enclave functionality. VBS uses hardware virtualization to create isolated memory regions (enclaves) for protecting sensitive data. The flaw allows a local unauthorized attacker to potentially read arbitrary memory contents by dereferencing an untrusted pointer, leading to information disclosure.
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< 10.0.22631.6491< 10.0.26100.7623< 10.0.26200.7623CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Identify Windows 11 build versionRun `winver` or `systeminfo` or `(Get-ComputerInfo).OsBuildNumber` to obtain the Windows build numberAffected if The build number is below 22631.6491 for 23h2, below 26100.7623 for 24h2, or below 26200.7623 for 25h2
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Confirm VBS is enabledRun `msinfo32` and look for 'Virtualization-Based Security' status, or check registry key `HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard`\EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurityAffected if VBS is shown as 'Running' or the registry value is set to 1 (the flaw requires VBS to be active)
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Verify VBS Enclave runtime statusRun `Get-ComputerInfo -CsEnabledVbs` or inspect `msinfo32` for 'VBS Enclave Runtime' listing under virtualization featuresAffected if VBS Enclave runtime is present and running (the vulnerability is in the enclave functionality itself)
You are affected if you are running a vulnerable Windows 11 23h2/24h2/25h2 build AND VBS with Enclave functionality is enabled on your 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 · scoped10.0.22631.649110.0.26100.762310.0.26200.7623
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-20935 when available. Verify VBS functionality remains intact after patching, as VBS is critical for Windows credential protection and isolation features.
Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6491 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.7623 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.7623 or later
- Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates
- Apply all available cumulative updates until the build number reaches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows 11 version
- Alternatively, manually install the relevant cumulative update from Microsoft Update Catalog: for 23h2 use KB5055523 or later, for 24h2 use KB5056678 or later, for 25h2 use KB5056657 or later
- Restart the system after applying the update
- Verify the installed build number by running 'winver' command - it should show 10.0.22631.6491 or higher for 23h2, 10.0.26100.7623 or higher for 24h2, or 10.0.26200.7623 or higher for 25h2
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20935 — 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-2026-20935 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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