CVE-2026-48578
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 Secure Boot 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 confidenceImproper access control in Windows Secure Boot allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of access permissions within the Secure Boot chain, potentially enabling a user with existing local access to gain higher-level privileges through manipulation of boot configuration or trust boundaries.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/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 build versionOpen Command Prompt or PowerShell and run: `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"` to obtain the full build number.Affected if The build number is lower than the version specified for your Windows release (e.g., Windows 10 1607 < 10.0.14393.9234, Windows 11 23h2 < 10.0.22631.7219).
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Identify exact Windows edition and buildRun `Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OsHardwareAbstractionLayer` in PowerShell to get precise product name and build.Affected if The detected version matches an affected product line and the build is below the corresponding threshold.
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Verify Secure Boot statusRun `bcdedit /enum all` and look for the "secureboot" entry in the output, or run `Confirm-SecureBootUEFI` in PowerShell (requires admin).Affected if Secure Boot is enabled on the system (the vulnerability involves improper access control within the Secure Boot chain).
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Check for security updatesOpen Settings > Windows Update > View update history, or run `Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10` in PowerShell to list recent patches.Affected if No security updates have been installed after the CVE release date, or the build remains below the patched version threshold.
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Confirm local attacker scenario appliesReview system logs and privileged user accounts to determine if untrusted local users with existing authorization exist on the machine.Affected if The system allows multiple local users or groups with varying privilege levels, and the attacker already has some form of authorized access to the system.
A system is affected if it runs a Windows version within the listed product ranges AND the installed build number falls below the specified threshold AND Secure Boot is enabled, meaning the improper access control flaw in the Secure Boot chain can be exploited.
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 patches for this vulnerability and verify Secure Boot integrity. Review and restrict boot-related configuration permissions to authorized administrators only.
Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.9234 or later | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.8880 or later | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7417 or later | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7417 or later | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.7219 or later | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8655 or later | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8655 or
- 1. Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or checking System Properties
- 2. If the installed build number is below the fixed threshold for your Windows version, initiate a Windows Update
- 3. Alternatively, download the specific Cumulative Update for your Windows version from Microsoft Update Catalog
- 4. Apply the update and restart the system
- 5. Verify the installation by checking the new build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48578 — 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-2026-48578 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
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