dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-26182

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.14393.9060 / 10.0.17763.8644 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 Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock 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 · high confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver (AFD.sys) for WinSock. This kernel-mode driver handles Windows Sockets communications, and the vulnerability allows a locally authenticated attacker to exploit freed memory to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2026-26182 via Windows Update or manual patch deployment. Prioritize workstations and servers with local user access, as the attacker requires existing authenticated access.

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:< 10.0.14393.9060
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.8644
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.7184
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.7184
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

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 build version
    Run 'winver' from command prompt or check 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the full build number including the revision portion
    Affected if The displayed build number is lower than any of the affected version thresholds for your Windows release
  2. Compare against affected version thresholds
    Match your Windows release (e.g., Windows 10 22h2, Windows 11 23h2) to the affected version list and verify if your build number is below the corresponding threshold (e.g., Windows 10 22h2 requires < 10.0.19045.7184)
    Affected if Your installed build falls below the threshold for your specific Windows version and build branch
  3. Verify AFD.sys driver version (optional)
    Open File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers, right-click afd.sys, select Properties, then view the File Version details
    Affected if The driver version shown is older than the patch version for your Windows build (this step is optional as version comparison above is sufficient)

You are affected if your Windows build number is lower than the threshold listed for your specific Windows version and build branch, indicating the AFD.sys vulnerability remains unpatched.

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 10.0.14393.9060 / 10.0.17763.8644 / 10.0.19044.7184 or later
Fixed in 10.0.14393.906010.0.17763.864410.0.19044.7184
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2026-26182 via Windows Update or manual patch deployment. Prioritize workstations and servers with local user access, as the attacker requires existing authenticated access.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply the appropriate Windows security update for your version (e.g., KB506XXXX for the corresponding month) that brings the build to 10.0.14393.9060 / 10.0.17763.8644 / 10.0.19044.7184 / 10.0.19045.7184 / 10.0.22631.6936 / 10.0.26100.8246 / 10.0.26200.8246 / 10.0.28000.1836

  1. Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Determine which Windows 10 or 11 version and build is currently installed from the list: 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, or 26h1
  3. For Windows 10 1607: Upgrade to build 10.0.14393.9060 or later via Windows Update or Windows 10 LTSB servicing stack update
  4. For Windows 10 1809: Upgrade to build 10.0.17763.8644 or later via Windows Update
  5. For Windows 10 21h2: Upgrade to build 10.0.19044.7184 or later via Windows Update
  6. For Windows 10 22h2: Upgrade to build 10.0.19045.7184 or later via Windows Update
  7. For Windows 11 23h2: Upgrade to build 10.0.22631.6936 or later via Windows Update
  8. For Windows 11 24h2: Upgrade to build 10.0.26100.8246 or later via Windows Update
Caveat Standard Windows cumulative update apply; verify application compatibility before deployment in enterprise environments

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-26182 — 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-2026-26182 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