CVE-2026-32159
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 · uneditedConcurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Push Notifications 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 confidenceA race condition vulnerability exists in Windows Push Notifications where concurrent access to shared resources lacks proper synchronization. An authorized local attacker can exploit this improper synchronization to elevate privileges to a higher integrity level.
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< 10.0.17763.8644< 10.0.19044.7184< 10.0.19045.7184< 10.0.22631.6936< 10.0.26100.8246< 10.0.26200.8246< 10.0.28000.1836< 10.0.17763.8644CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 version and build numberRun 'winver' from command prompt or execute 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the exact Windows build versionAffected if The displayed build version falls below any of these thresholds: 17763.8644 (Win10 1809/Server 2019), 19044.7184 (Win10 21h2), 19045.7184 (Win10 22h2), 22631.6936 (Win11 23h2), 26100.8246 (Win11 24h2), 26200.8246 (Win11 25h2), or 28000.1836 (Win11 26h1)
-
Identify the Windows release version familyRun 'winver' and note the specific release (such as 'Version 1809', 'Version 22H2', or 'Version 24H2') to map to the correct affected version rangeAffected if The system runs any of the listed Windows 10 or Windows 11 releases, or Windows Server 2019, with a build number lower than the corresponding threshold for that release
-
Verify Windows Push Notifications component statusCheck the Windows Push Notification service by running 'Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.PushNotification' from PowerShell with admin rights, or inspect the Windows Push Notifications system settings under Settings > System > NotificationsAffected if Windows Push Notifications is enabled and the operating system version is in the affected range - the race condition exists in this component when running an unpatched Windows version
-
Confirm the security update is not installedRun 'powershell -Command "Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -match 'Security Update' -and $_.HotFixID -like '*32159*'}"' or check Windows Update history for the CVE-2026-32159 security updateAffected if The CVE-2026-32159 security update is absent from the installed updates list, confirming the system remains vulnerable
The environment is affected if the system runs any Windows 10 version 1809/21h2/22h2, Windows 11 23h2/24h2/25h2/26h1, or Windows Server 2019 with a build number lower than the corresponding fixed version and the Windows Push Notifications feature is active.
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 · scoped10.0.17763.864410.0.19044.718410.0.19045.7184
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-32159 through Windows Update or manual patch deployment. Verify that the patch is successfully installed on affected Windows systems.
Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8644 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7184 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7184 | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.6936 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8246 | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8246 | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.1836 | Windows Server 2019: 10.0.17763.8644
- Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
- For Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019: Apply update KB5055523 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.17763.8644
- For Windows 10 21h2: Apply update KB5055539 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.19044.7184
- For Windows 10 22h2: Apply update KB5055540 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.19045.7184
- For Windows 11 23h2: Apply update KB5055527 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.22631.6936
- For Windows 11 24h2: Apply update KB5055533 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.26100.8246
- For Windows 11 25h2: Apply update KB5055594 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.26200.8246
- For Windows 11 26h1: Apply update KB5055622 (or subsequent security update) which contains build 10.0.28000.1836
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-32159 — 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-2026-32159 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