dbcve.org
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-49171

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.14393.9339 / 10.0.17763.9020 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click 5 weeks old

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
Use after free in Microsoft Windows Speech allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

In the news

Third-party coverage
Trending covered by 1 outlet this week · latest 1w ago

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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Windows Speech component that allows a locally authorized attacker to elevate privileges. The flaw involves memory being accessed after it has been freed, which can be exploited to gain higher-level system access.

MitigationApply vendor-provided Microsoft security patches for Windows Speech component. Prioritize patching on systems where local users have varying privilege levels.

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:< 10.0.14393.9339
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.9020
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.7548
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.7548
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.8875
Windows 11 25h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26200.8875
Windows 11 26h1Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.28000.2269< 10.0.28000.2525
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.9339

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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
    Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'winver' to see the OS build, or use 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' or PowerShell 'Get-ComputerInfo OsVersion OsBuildNumber'
    Affected if The build number is less than any of these thresholds depending on your Windows version: 14393.9339 (Win10 1607/Server 2016), 17763.9020 (Win10 1809), 19044.7548 (Win10 21h2), 19045.7548 (Win10 22h2), 26100.8875 (Win11 24h2), 26200.8875 (Win11 25h2), 28000.2269 or 28000.2525 (Win11 26h1)
  2. Identify exact Windows edition and version
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to determine whether your system is Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21h2, 22h2, Windows 11 24h2, 25h2, 26h1, or Windows Server 2016
    Affected if Your system matches any of these editions and its build number is below the corresponding threshold listed in step 1
  3. Verify Windows Speech component is present
    Check for the presence of Speech recognition files. In File Explorer navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Speech and look for files like 'Speech\SpeechUX\SpeechUX.dll' or run 'Get-ChildItem C:\Windows\System32\Speech* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue' in PowerShell
    Affected if The Windows Speech component files exist on the system (this is default in most Windows installations)
  4. Confirm the vulnerability condition
    Cross-reference your identified Windows edition and exact build number from steps 1-2 against the affected version ranges in the CVE documentation
    Affected if Your installed Windows build is lower than the patched version for your specific Windows edition, and the Windows Speech component is present on the system

You are affected if your Windows edition matches one listed in the CVE and your installed build number falls below the corresponding threshold, meaning the patch has not been applied.

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 10.0.14393.9339 / 10.0.17763.9020 / 10.0.19044.7548 or later
Fixed in 10.0.14393.933910.0.17763.902010.0.19044.7548
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided Microsoft security patches for Windows Speech component. Prioritize patching on systems where local users have varying privilege levels.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the following minimum builds: Windows 10 1607/Server 2016: 10.0.14393.9339 | Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.9020 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.7548 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.7548 | Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.8875 | Windows 11 25h2: 10.0.26200.8875 | Windows 11 26h1: 10.0.28000.2525

  1. 1. Identify the current Windows version and build by running `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"`
  2. 2. Determine which Windows release you are on (10 1607, 10 1809, 10 21h2, 10 22h2, 11 24h2, 11 25h2, 11 26h1, or Server 2016)
  3. 3. Open Windows Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  4. 4. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest security updates
  5. 5. Alternatively, manually download the specific KB patch from the Microsoft Update Catalog matching your Windows version
  6. 6. After installation, restart the system when prompted
  7. 7. Verify the fix is applied by checking the installed KB number or by running `winver` to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed version for your release
Caveat Standard Windows cumulative update; review known issues in the KB article before deployment in production environments

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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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-2026-49171 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