CVE-2026-26128
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 authentication in Windows SMB Server 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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows SMB Server stemming from improper authentication. An attacker who already has authorized access to the system can exploit the authentication flaw in SMB to elevate their privileges to a higher level locally.
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< 10.0.14393.8957< 10.0.17763.8511< 10.0.19044.7058< 10.0.19045.7058< 10.0.22631.6783< 10.0.26100.7979< 10.0.26200.7979< 10.0.28000.1719CVSS 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.
-
Check Windows build versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo' and note the OS Build number shown (e.g., 19045.7058)Affected if The build number is lower than any of these thresholds: 14393.8957 (Win10 1607), 17763.8511 (Win10 1809), 19044.7058 (Win10 21h2), 19045.7058 (Win10 22h2), 22631.6783 (Win11 23h2), 26100.7979 (Win11 24h2), 26200.7979 (Win11 25h2), or 28000.1719 (Win11 26h1)
-
Verify SMB Server service is runningOpen Services (services.msc) and check the status of 'Server' (SMB 1.x) or run 'Get-Service LanmanServer' in PowerShellAffected if The Server service is running (required for SMB to be active)
-
Confirm SMB is enabledRun 'Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select-Object EnableSMB1Protocol,EnableSMB2Protocol' in PowerShellAffected if Either SMB1 or SMB2 is enabled (the vulnerability is in SMB Server authentication)
-
Check SMB listening statusRun 'netstat -an | findstr "445"' to verify the SMB port is listening, or run 'Get-SmbConnection' to list active SMB sessionsAffected if Port 445 is listening and SMB connections are possible
You are affected if your Windows build version is lower than the thresholds listed AND SMB Server is enabled and listening on your system.
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 · scoped10.0.14393.895710.0.17763.851110.0.19044.7058
Apply the appropriate Microsoft security updates for Windows SMB Server to address the improper authentication vulnerability. Verify SMB functionality continues to work correctly after patching.
Windows 10 1607 to 10.0.14393.8957 | Windows 10 1809 to 10.0.17763.8511 | Windows 10 21h2 to 10.0.19044.7058 | Windows 10 22h2 to 10.0.19045.7058 | Windows 11 23h2 to 10.0.22631.6783 | Windows 11 24h2 to 10.0.26100.7979 | Windows 11 25h2 to 10.0.26200.7979 | Windows 11 26h1 to 10.0.28000.1719
- Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or checking System Properties
- Determine which affected version category your system falls under (Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, or Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1)
- Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
- Alternatively, manually download and install the appropriate Cumulative Security Update from the Microsoft Update Catalog for your specific Windows version
- Verify the update was installed successfully and restart the system if prompted
- Confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release (e.g., Windows 10 22h2 should be 10.0.19045.7058 or higher)
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-26128 — 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-2026-26128 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
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.
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.
- 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