CVE-2026-20941
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 · uneditedImproper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Host Process for Windows Tasks 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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Host Process for Tasks (schedsvc.dll). The flaw is a link following (symlink) issue where the process does not properly validate symbolic links before accessing files, allowing an authenticated attacker to manipulate file system links to gain elevated privileges.
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< 10.0.26100.7623< 10.0.26200.7623< 10.0.26100.32230CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to get the installed Windows version and build numberAffected if The version is Windows 11 24h2 (build < 26100.7623), Windows 11 25h2 (build < 26200.7623), or Windows Server 2025 (build < 26100.32230)
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Verify schedsvc.dll versionLocate schedsvc.dll (typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and check its file version properties, or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\schedsvc.dll).VersionInfo'Affected if The file version is lower than the patched build versions for your Windows release
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Confirm Task Scheduler service statusRun 'sc query schedule' to check if the Windows Task Scheduler service is runningAffected if The Task Scheduler service (schedule) is running - this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable
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Check for recent security updatesRun 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -eq "Security Update"} | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10' to list recent security patchesAffected if No recent security updates related to Task Scheduler or schdsvc.dll have been installed
You are affected if you are running an unpatched Windows 11 24h2/25h2 or Windows Server 2025 within the affected build ranges AND the Task Scheduler service is enabled.
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 · scoped10.0.26100.762310.0.26100.3223010.0.26200.7623
Apply Microsoft security updates for the Host Process for Windows Tasks component when available. Monitor Microsoft's security advisory pages for patch releases.
Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.7623 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.7623 or later | Windows Server 2025: build 10.0.26100.32230 or later
- Check current Windows version by running `winver` or `systeminfo` in Command Prompt
- Open Windows Update by typing 'Windows Update' in Start menu search
- Click 'Check for updates' and install all available updates
- If using Windows Server, run `wuauclt /detectnow` or use WSUS to check for and apply patches
- After installation, restart the computer when prompted
- Verify the installed version meets the fixed build: Windows 11 24h2 should be >= 10.0.26100.7623, Windows 11 25h2 >= 10.0.26200.7623, Windows Server 2025 >= 10.0.26100.32230
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20941 — 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-2026-20941 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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