dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-25185

MEDIUM · 5.3 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 →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in Windows Shell Link Processing allows an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network.

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

This vulnerability in Windows Shell Link Processing allows exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors, enabling network-based spoofing attacks. The flaw exists in how Windows handles .lnk shortcut files, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate link targets or expose sensitive data through specially crafted shortcut files.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell Link Processing. Test Shell Link functionality in a staging environment before broad deployment to ensure normal operation of shortcuts and linked 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
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check Windows build number
    Run 'winver' from command prompt or execute 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to display the installed Windows version and build number
    Affected if The build number is lower than the fixed version for your Windows release (e.g., below 10.0.14393.8957 for Windows 10 1607, below 10.0.17763.8511 for Windows 10 1809, etc.)
  2. Confirm exact build via registry
    Run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v CurrentBuild' and 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v DisplayVersion' to retrieve precise build values
    Affected if The CurrentBuild value is less than the corresponding threshold for your Windows version branch
  3. Identify Windows version branch
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to determine if you are on Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2 or Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1
    Affected if You are running any of the listed affected versions and the build is below the specified threshold for that branch

You are affected if your Windows build number is lower than the minimum version listed for your specific Windows release (10 1607, 10 1809, 10 21h2, 10 22h2, 11 23h2, 11 24h2, 11 25h2, or 11 26h1).

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 the relevant Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell Link Processing. Test Shell Link functionality in a staging environment before broad deployment to ensure normal operation of shortcuts and linked resources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Update to Windows build 10.0.14393.8957 or later for Win10 1607; 10.0.17763.8511 or later for Win10 1809; 10.0.19044.7058 or later for Win10 21h2; 10.0.19045.7058 or later for Win10 22h2; 10.0.22631.6783 or later for Win11 23h2; 10.0.26100.7979 or later for Win11 24h2; 10.0.26200.7979 or later for W

  1. Check current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Open Windows Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  4. Alternatively, manually download and install the cumulative update corresponding to your Windows version from the Microsoft Update Catalog
  5. Restart the system after updates are installed
  6. Verify the installation was successful by checking that the build number matches or exceeds: 10.0.14393.8957 (Win10 1607), 10.0.17763.8511 (Win10 1809), 10.0.19044.7058 (Win10 21h2), 10.0.19045.7058 (Win10 22h2), 10.0.22631.6783 (Win11 23h2), 10.0.26100.7979 (Win11 24h2), 10.0.26200.7979 (Win11 25h2), or 10.0.28000.1719 (Win11 26h1)
Caveat Standard Windows update with minimal risk; ensure backups of critical data before applying updates

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1607 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-25185 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