CVE-2026-32165
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 · uneditedUse after free in Windows User Interface Core 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 Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability in Windows User Interface Core allows a locally authorized attacker to elevate privileges to higher integrity levels. The vulnerability involves improper memory management in the UI subsystem that can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution at an elevated privilege 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.
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Check Windows build versionRun `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"` and note the full build number (e.g., 10.0.17763.8644)Affected if The installed build number is less than the fixed version for your Windows release (see version ranges: 17763.8644, 19044.7184, 19045.7184, 22631.6936, 26100.8246, 26200.8246, 28000.1836)
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Identify Windows releaseRun `winver` to confirm whether you are on Windows 10 1809, 10 21h2, 10 22h2, Windows 11 23h2/24h2/25h2/26h1, or Windows Server 2019Affected if The release matches any of the affected product versions listed in the CVE
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Confirm User Interface Core component existsCheck that the Windows UI subsystem is present by verifying the presence of core UI DLLs in System32 (e.g., verify existence of user32.dll or win32k.sys)Affected if The UI core components exist, which is the default state for all affected Windows installations
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Check for local user accounts with limited privilegesRun `net user` to list local accounts, then check account types with `net user <username>` or via Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)Affected if There are non-administrator local user accounts present on the system (attacker would need an existing authorized account to exploit this UAF)
Your system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows 10 or Windows 11 versions (or Server 2019) with a build number below the fixed thresholds AND has local user accounts that could serve as the initial authorized attacker context.
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 relevant Microsoft Windows security update addressing this vulnerability in Windows User Interface Core; prioritize patching systems with exposure to untrusted users or processes.
Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8644 or later | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.7184 or later | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.7184 or later | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.6936 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.8246 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.8246 or later |
- 1. Determine the current Windows build version by running `winver` or `systeminfo` in Command Prompt
- 2. Identify the affected Windows version from the list: Windows 10 1809, 21h2, 22h2, Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1, or Windows Server 2019
- 3. Check if the current build is below the specified threshold for your version (1809: 10.0.17763.8644, 21h2: 10.0.19044.7184, 22h2: 10.0.19045.7184, 23h2: 10.0.22631.6936, 24h2: 10.0.26100.8246, 25h2: 10.0.26200.8246, 26h1: 10.0.28000.1836)
- 4. Apply the appropriate Windows Security Update (patch) that includes the fix for CVE-2026-32165 via Windows Update or Microsoft Update Catalog
- 5. Restart the system after applying the update
- 6. Verify the new build version meets or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-32165 — 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-2026-32165 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
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- 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
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