dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-25187

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon 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 link following (symlink) vulnerability in Winlogon allows a local authenticated attacker to manipulate file system links during file access operations, enabling privilege escalation to higher integrity levels.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-25187 through Windows Update or deploy the corresponding KB patch to vulnerable systems.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check installed Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' or 'Get-ComputerInfo CsWindowsVersion' in PowerShell to obtain the full Windows build number
    Affected if The build number is lower than any of the following: 14393.8957 (Windows 10 1607), 17763.8511 (Windows 10 1809), 19044.7058 (Windows 10 21h2/22h2), 22631.6783 (Windows 11 23h2), 26100.7979 (Windows 11 24h2/25h2), or 28000.1719 (Windows 11 26h1)
  2. Verify security update installation
    Open Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, or run 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell to list installed KB patches
    Affected if No security update for CVE-2026-25187 is listed among installed hotfixes
  3. Confirm Winlogon is in use
    Verify the Winlogon process (winlogon.exe) is running by opening Task Manager or running 'Get-Process winlogon' in PowerShell
    Affected if Winlogon is present and running, which is the default configuration on affected Windows systems

A system is affected if it runs a Windows version with a build number lower than the patched versions listed AND lacks the CVE-2026-25187 security update.

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 Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-25187 through Windows Update or deploy the corresponding KB patch to vulnerable systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.8957 | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8511 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7058 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7058 | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.6783 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.7979 | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.7979 | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.1719

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates to install the latest security patches
  2. Alternatively, manually download the security update for your specific Windows version from the Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com) by searching for the KB number associated with CVE-2026-25187
  3. After installing the update, restart the computer to apply the changes
  4. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history or running 'winver' to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
Caveat Standard security update with no expected breaking changes; all listed versions are cumulative security patches

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
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2026-25187 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