CVE-2026-41087
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 · uneditedExposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in Windows File Explorer allows an authorized attacker to disclose information locally.
In the news
Third-party coverage- Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days
- Microsoft CVE Summary - Bleeping Computer
Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 confidenceThis is a local information disclosure vulnerability in Windows File Explorer where an authorized attacker can access sensitive information they should not have access to. The CVSS 5.5 score indicates moderate severity with confidentiality impact. This appears to be an improper access control issue within File Explorer's file/folder metadata 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< 10.0.14393.9339< 10.0.17763.9020< 10.0.19044.7548< 10.0.19045.7548< 10.0.26100.8875< 10.0.26200.8875< 10.0.28000.2269< 10.0.14393.9339CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 version and build numberOpen Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the installed Windows version and build numberAffected if The reported version falls below any of the following thresholds: Windows 10 1607/Server 2016 build < 10.0.14393.9339, Windows 10 1809 build < 10.0.17763.9020, Windows 10 21h2 build < 10.0.19044.7548, Windows 10 22h2 build < 10.0.19045.7548, Windows 11 24h2 build < 10.0.26100.8875, Windows 11 25h2 b
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Confirm File Explorer usageVerify that File Explorer (explorer.exe) is the active or default file management application on the system. This is the default file manager in all affected Windows versions.Affected if File Explorer is in use, which is the default state on unpatched Windows installations
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Check for pending Windows updatesOpen Settings > Windows Update and check for available security updates, or run 'powershell Get-HotFix' to list installed patchesAffected if The security update for CVE-2026-41087 is not installed, indicating the system remains vulnerable
A system is affected if it runs any Windows version below the specified build thresholds and uses File Explorer, which is the default configuration.
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 · scoped10.0.14393.933910.0.17763.902010.0.19044.7548
Apply the Microsoft security update addressing CVE-2026-41087 through standard Windows Update or enterprise patch management channels. Verify File Explorer functionality after patching.
Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.9339 or later | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.9020 or later | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7548 or later | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7548 or later | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8875 or later | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8875 or later | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.2269 or
- Identify the current Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
- For Windows 10: Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates
- For Windows 11: Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates
- Alternatively, manually download the security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com) by searching for the relevant KB article for this CVE
- Install the cumulative security update and restart the system when prompted
- Verify the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-41087 — 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-2026-41087 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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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