dbcve.org
Windows 11 23h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-26165

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.20348.5020 / 10.0.22631.6936 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 Shell 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 · low confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Windows Shell that enables a local attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw allows an attacker to manipulate memory after it has been freed, potentially executing arbitrary code with elevated permissions.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell when available. Maintain current Windows patch levels across all affected 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 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.6936
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.8246
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.8246
Windows 11 26h1Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.28000.1836
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.5020
Windows Server 2022 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.25398.2274
Windows Server 2025Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.32690

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. Identify Windows version and build number
    Run 'winver' from the command prompt or check the registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion' for the 'CurrentBuild' and 'DisplayVersion' values
    Affected if The build number is below the threshold for your Windows release as listed in the affected versions
  2. Determine exact Windows release
    Run 'systeminfo' and note the 'OS Name' field to identify whether you are running Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1, Windows Server 2022, Server 2022 23h2, or Server 2025
    Affected if The identified release matches one of the affected products and versions listed
  3. Compare build against affected thresholds
    Cross-reference your identified build number with the following thresholds: Windows 11 23h2 requires 10.0.22631.6936 or higher; Windows 11 24h2 requires 10.0.26100.8246 or higher; Windows 11 25h2 requires 10.0.26200.8246 or higher; Windows 11 26h1 requires 10.0.28000.1836 or higher; Windows Server 2022 requires 10.0.20348.5020 or higher; Windows Server 2022 23h2 requires 10.0.25398.2274 or higher; Windows Server 2025 requires 10.0.26100.32690 or higher
    Affected if Your installed build number is lower than the required threshold for your specific Windows release

You are affected if your Windows build number falls below the threshold listed for your specific Windows version.

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 10.0.20348.5020 / 10.0.22631.6936 / 10.0.25398.2274 or later
Fixed in 10.0.20348.502010.0.22631.693610.0.25398.2274
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Shell when available. Maintain current Windows patch levels across all affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply the corresponding Windows security update from Microsoft Update to reach version 10.0.22631.6936 (23h2), 10.0.26100.8246 (24h2), 10.0.26200.8246 (25h2), 10.0.28000.1836 (26h1), 10.0.20348.5020 (Server 2022), 10.0.25398.2274 (Server 2022 23h2), or 10.0.26100.32690 (Server 2025)

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates, or run 'wuauclt /detectnow' to trigger update detection
  2. Install all available Windows security updates (this vulnerability is addressed in Microsoft's monthly security patches)
  3. Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
  4. Verify the fix by checking the Windows version: run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"' and confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your edition
Caveat Standard Windows security update; no breaking changes expected for typical workloads

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

Fix this in Windows 11 23h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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-2026-26165 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