CVE-2026-50297
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 Win32K allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges 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 confidenceImproper access control in the Windows Win32K kernel-mode driver allows a local authorized attacker to elevate privileges. Win32K handles window management and graphics operations in kernel mode, and this access control flaw permits a local user to gain higher-level permissions than intended.
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< 10.0.28000.2525all versions= r2CVSS 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 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"Affected if The displayed build number falls below the version thresholds for your Windows edition (e.g., below 10.0.14393.9339 for Windows 10 1607, below 10.0.17763.9020 for Windows 10 1809, etc.)
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Confirm Win32K driver presenceCheck that the Win32K.sys driver exists on the system. Run: dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sysAffected if The Win32K kernel-mode driver file is present (this is true for all affected Windows versions)
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Verify local user accessDetermine if untrusted local users exist on the system. Run: net user or check Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)Affected if There are local users with lower-privilege accounts that could potentially exploit this privilege escalation flaw
Your system is affected if it runs any Windows 10 version below 10.0.19045.7548 (22h2), Windows 11 below the specified build thresholds for your release, or Windows Server 2012 any version, and an untrusted local user could execute code to trigger the Win32K access control flaw.
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 relevant Microsoft security update for this vulnerability once released. Prioritize patching systems with direct user access and enforce least-privilege principles to reduce the attack surface.
Windows 10 1607: build 10.0.14393.9339 or later | Windows 10 1809: build 10.0.17763.9020 or later | Windows 10 21h2: build 10.0.19044.7548 or later | Windows 10 22h2: build 10.0.19045.7548 or later | Windows 11 24h2: build 10.0.26100.8875 or later | Windows 11 25h2: build 10.0.26200.8875 or later |
- Identify the current Windows build version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
- Determine which Windows version and build you are running from the affected list provided
- Apply the corresponding Windows security update that includes the fix for build 10.0.14393.9339 (Windows 10 1607), 10.0.17763.9020 (Windows 10 1809), 10.0.19044.7548 (Windows 10 21h2), 10.0.19045.7548 (Windows 10 22h2), 10.0.26100.8875 (Windows 11 24h2), 10.0.26200.8875 (Windows 11 25h2), or 10.0.28000.2525 (Windows 11 26h1)
- For Windows Server 2012/R2, apply the latest cumulative security update from Microsoft or consider upgrading to a supported Windows Server version as Windows Server 2012 is end-of-life
- Verify the update was installed successfully by checking Windows Update history or running 'winver' to confirm the build number meets or exceeds the fixed version
- Restart the system as prompted to complete the update installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-50297 — 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-2026-50297 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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