dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-45601

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.14393.9234 / 10.0.17763.8880 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
Concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') 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 · moderate confidence

A race condition vulnerability exists in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver (AFD.sys) for WinSock. The driver improperly synchronizes access to shared resources during concurrent operations, allowing a local authenticated attacker to exploit the timing window and elevate privileges to SYSTEM level.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for this vulnerability through Windows Update or manually install the relevant KB when released. Until patched, monitor for suspicious local privilege escalation attempts.

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:< 10.0.14393.9234
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.8880
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.7417
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.7417
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.7219
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.8655
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.8655
Windows 11 26h1Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.28000.2269

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. Check Windows build version
    Run 'winver' or execute 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the installed Windows build number
    Affected if The build number falls below any of these thresholds: 14393.9234 (1607), 17763.8880 (1809), 19044.7417 (21h2), 19045.7417 (22h2), 22631.7219 (23h2), 26100.8655 (24h2), 26200.8655 (25h2), or 28000.2269 (26h1)
  2. Locate AFD driver file
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\afd.sys and retrieve file properties, or run 'Get-ItemProperty C:\Windows\System32\drivers\afd.sys' via PowerShell
    Affected if The AFD driver file exists on the system, indicating the vulnerable component is present
  3. Check AFD driver version
    Right-click afd.sys, select Properties, then Details to view the File Version field; alternatively use 'wmic datafile where "name='C:\\\\Windows\\\\System32\\\\drivers\\\\afd.sys'" get Version'
    Affected if The driver version is older than the patched build corresponding to your Windows version (exact patched versions vary by Windows release as listed in affected version ranges)

A system is affected if it runs any Windows 10 or 11 build version listed as vulnerable and contains the unpatched AFD driver for that build range.

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 10.0.14393.9234 / 10.0.17763.8880 / 10.0.19044.7417 or later
Fixed in 10.0.14393.923410.0.17763.888010.0.19044.7417
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for this vulnerability through Windows Update or manually install the relevant KB when released. Until patched, monitor for suspicious local privilege escalation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1607: build 10.0.14393.9234 or later | Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.8880 or later | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.7417 or later | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.7417 or later | Windows 11 23h2: build 10.0.22631.7219 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.8655 or later |

  1. Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Determine which affected version category applies to your system from the list: Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, or Windows 11 23h2, 24h2, 25h2, 26h1
  3. Apply Windows updates via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, or manually download and install the specific cumulative update for your version
  4. Verify the update installed successfully by checking the OS build number matches or exceeds: 10.0.14393.9234 (1607), 10.0.17763.8880 (1809), 10.0.19044.7417 (21h2), 10.0.19045.7417 (22h2), 10.0.22631.7219 (23h2), 10.0.26100.8655 (24h2), 10.0.26200.8655 (25h2), or 10.0.28000.2269 (26h1)
  5. Restart the system as prompted to complete the update installation
Caveat Standard Windows update with no expected breaking changes; patch is a routine cumulative security update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 1607 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-45601 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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