dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-25171

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.14393.8957 / 10.0.17763.8511 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Use after free 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

A use-after-free vulnerability in Windows Authentication Methods allows an authorized local attacker to manipulate memory after it has been freed, enabling local privilege escalation to higher system privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Windows Authentication Methods as they become available. Prioritize systems with direct user access and verify authentication functionality post-patch.

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:< 10.0.14393.8957
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.8511
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.7058
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.7058
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.6783
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.7979
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.7979
Windows 11 26h1Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.28000.1719

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Retrieve Windows build version
    Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run `winver` or `Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object OsVersion, OsBuildNumber` to obtain the exact Windows build number
    Affected if The build number falls below the thresholds for your Windows version (10.0.14393.8957 for 1607, 10.0.17763.8511 for 1809, 10.0.19044.7058/10.0.19045.7058 for 21h2/22h2, 10.0.22631.6783 for 23h2, 10.0.26100.7979 for 24h2, 10.0.26200.7979 for 25h2, or 10.0.28000.1719 for 26h1)
  2. Confirm Windows edition and version
    Run `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to verify the exact Windows edition and version string
    Affected if The OS version matches an affected Windows 10 or Windows 11 release with a build number lower than the patched version for that release
  3. Check authentication service status
    Open Services (services.msc) and locate Windows Authentication services, or run `Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*Authentication*"}` in PowerShell
    Affected if The Windows Authentication Methods component is present and running, which is the default state for most Windows installations

You are affected if your Windows build number is lower than the patched threshold for your specific Windows version and the Windows Authentication Methods component is enabled (default configuration).

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 10.0.14393.8957 / 10.0.17763.8511 / 10.0.19044.7058 or later
Fixed in 10.0.14393.895710.0.17763.851110.0.19044.7058
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Authentication Methods as they become available. Prioritize systems with direct user access and verify authentication functionality post-patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10/11 versions as specified above (e.g., 10.0.14393.8957 for 1607, 10.0.17763.8511 for 1809, etc.)

  1. Identify the current Windows version by running `winver` or `systeminfo` in Command Prompt
  2. Determine which Windows 10 or 11 version family is installed (e.g., 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, or 26h1)
  3. For Windows 10 1607: upgrade to version 10.0.14393.8957 or later
  4. For Windows 10 1809: upgrade to version 10.0.17763.8511 or later
  5. For Windows 10 21h2: upgrade to version 10.0.19044.7058 or later
  6. For Windows 10 22h2: upgrade to version 10.0.19045.7058 or later
  7. For Windows 11 23h2: upgrade to version 10.0.22631.6783 or later
  8. For Windows 11 24h2: upgrade to version 10.0.26100.7979 or later
Caveat Standard Windows security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; verify application compatibility before deployment in enterprise environments

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-25171 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