CVE-2026-35416
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 · uneditedAccess of resource using incompatible type ('type confusion') 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 confidenceType confusion vulnerability in Windows Ancillary Function Driver (AFD.sys) allows a locally authorized attacker to elevate privileges by exploiting how the driver handles WinSock operations with incompatible type handling.
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< 10.0.14393.9140< 10.0.17763.8755< 10.0.19044.7291< 10.0.19045.7291< 10.0.22631.7079< 10.0.26100.8390< 10.0.26200.8390< 10.0.28000.2113CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to identify your Windows version and build numberAffected if Build number is lower than the fixed version for your specific Windows release (e.g., < 14393.9140 for 1607, < 17763.8755 for 1809, etc.)
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Check AFD.sys file versionRight-click C:\Windows\System32\drivers\AFD.sys (or use 'dir /a C:\Windows\System32\drivers\AFD.sys' from elevated prompt), then view Properties > Details to see the File VersionAffected if File version is lower than the version in the fixed updates for your Windows build
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Check AFD.sys version via PowerShellRun 'Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\AFD.sys | Select-Object VersionInfo' from an elevated PowerShell promptAffected if The returned FileVersion string is lower than the patched version for your Windows release
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Confirm AFD.sys driver is loadedRun 'driverquery /v | findstr AFD' or 'sc query afd' to verify the Ancillary Function Driver service is presentAffected if The driver is loaded and version check from step 2 or 3 shows a version below the fixed threshold
You are affected if your Windows build falls within the affected version ranges AND your AFD.sys file version is below the patched version for that build.
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 · scoped10.0.14393.914010.0.17763.875510.0.19044.7291
Apply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability as they become available through Windows Update; verify that AFD.sys is patched to the fixed version.
Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.9140 | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8755 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7291 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7291 | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.7079 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8390 | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8390 | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.2113
- Open Windows Settings and navigate to Windows Update
- Check for updates and install all available cumulative updates
- Verify the installed build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
- Restart the system if prompted after update installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-35416 — 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-2026-35416 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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