dbcve.org
Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-25189

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.17763.8511 / 10.0.19044.7058 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
Use after free in Windows DWM Core Library 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 exists in the Windows DWM Core Library (Desktop Window Manager). The flaw allows a locally authorized attacker to exploit a dangling pointer scenario where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially achieving privilege escalation from a standard user context to higher system privileges.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied Windows security patches immediately. Monitor for indicators of compromise related to DWM process manipulation and restrict local user privileges where possible until patching is completed.

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 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 Server 2019Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.8511
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.4830

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 Windows build version
    Open Command Prompt and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the full build number
    Affected if The build number falls below 10.0.17763.8511, 10.0.19044.7058, 10.0.19045.7058, or 10.0.20348.4830 depending on your Windows edition and release channel
  2. Identify exact Windows edition and release
    Run 'winver' to confirm whether the system is Windows 10 1809, 21h2, 22h2, Server 2019, or Server 2022
    Affected if The system matches any affected product listed in the CVE and the version is below the specified threshold for that product
  3. Verify DWM process is running
    Open Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, and check for 'Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe)' or run 'tasklist | findstr dwm' in Command Prompt
    Affected if DWM is actively running, which is the vulnerable component containing the use-after-free flaw
  4. Confirm security patch installation
    Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history and look for recent security updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes
    Affected if No recent security update addressing this CVE is installed (patches were released after the vulnerable versions)

The system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows 10 or Windows Server versions with build numbers below the specified thresholds and lacks the corresponding security patch.

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 10.0.17763.8511 / 10.0.19044.7058 / 10.0.19045.7058 or later
Fixed in 10.0.17763.851110.0.19044.705810.0.19045.7058
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied Windows security patches immediately. Monitor for indicators of compromise related to DWM process manipulation and restrict local user privileges where possible until patching is completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8511 | Windows 10 21H2: build 10.0.19044.7058 | Windows 10 22H2: build 10.0.19045.7058 | Windows Server 2019: build 10.0.17763.8511 | Windows Server 2022: build 10.0.20348.4830

  1. Verify current Windows build version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"'
  2. Identify which Windows 10 edition or Windows Server version is installed from the output
  3. For Windows 10 1809 (build < 10.0.17763): Upgrade to build 10.0.17763.8511 or later via Windows Update or manual update installation
  4. For Windows 10 21H2 (build < 10.0.19044): Upgrade to build 10.0.19044.7058 or later via Windows Update or manual update installation
  5. For Windows 10 22H2 (build < 10.0.19045): Upgrade to build 10.0.19045.7058 or later via Windows Update or manual update installation
  6. For Windows Server 2019 (build < 10.0.17763): Upgrade to build 10.0.17763.8511 or later via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or manual update
  7. For Windows Server 2022 (build < 10.0.20348): Upgrade to build 10.0.20348.4830 or later via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or manual update
  8. Restart the system after applying the update
Caveat Standard Windows update - minimal risk; ensure standard backup and compatibility testing for mission-critical applications

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-25189 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-25189 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