CVE-2026-45658
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 · uneditedImproper access control in Windows BitLocker allows an authorized attacker to bypass a security feature 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 confidenceThis is an improper access control vulnerability in Windows BitLocker that allows an authorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally. The issue enables a user with existing access to circumvent BitLocker's protection mechanisms, potentially gaining unauthorized access to encrypted data without proper authentication.
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< 10.0.14393.9234< 10.0.17763.8880< 10.0.19044.7417< 10.0.19045.7417< 10.0.22631.7219< 10.0.26100.8655< 10.0.26200.8655< 10.0.28000.2269CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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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Verify BitLocker is enabled on the systemRun `Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint "C:"` in PowerShell (or check all volumes with `Get-BitLockerVolume`). Look for the VolumeStatus field.Affected if VolumeStatus shows "FullyEncrypted" or "EncryptionInProgress" - the vulnerability only affects systems where BitLocker protection is active.
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Confirm the installed Windows versionRun `winver` or execute `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` from Command Prompt.Affected if The Windows version is lower than one of these thresholds: Windows 10 1607 (<10.0.14393.9234), Windows 10 1809 (<10.0.17763.8880), Windows 10 21h2 (<10.0.19044.7417), Windows 10 22h2 (<10.0.19045.7417), Windows 11 23h2 (<10.0.22631.7219), Windows 11 24h2 (<10.0.26100.8655), Windows 11 25h2 (<10.0.26
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Check for local administrative privilegesRun `whoami /groups` in Command Prompt or check User Accounts in System Settings to identify accounts with Administrator or equivalent privileges.Affected if The system has multiple user accounts with local administrative rights, as the vulnerability is exploited by a "locally authorized attacker" with such access.
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Review BitLocker protection methodRun `Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint "C:" | Select-Object -Property VolumeStatus,ProtectionStatus,EncryptionMethod`. Check if TPM, TPM+PIN, or Password protection is in use.Affected if BitLocker is using TPM-only protection (without additional PIN or password), as the bypass relates to the access control mechanism protecting the encryption.
You are affected if BitLocker is enabled on any drive AND your Windows version falls below the affected version thresholds listed for your Windows release.
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 · scoped10.0.14393.923410.0.17763.888010.0.19044.7417
Apply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability once released. Verify that BitLocker encryption policies are properly enforced and consider additional controls like TPM+PIN or network-based key protection until patches are deployed.
Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.9234 | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8880 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7417 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7417 | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.7219 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8655 | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8655 | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.2269
- Open Windows Update Settings on the affected Windows system
- Check for updates and install all available security updates
- Alternatively, navigate to Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com) and search for the specific KB article associated with this CVE (check msrc.microsoft.com for the KB number)
- Restart the system after installing updates
- Verify the Windows version matches or exceeds the fixed build number for your Windows edition
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-45658 — 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-2026-45658 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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