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Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-50360

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19044.7548 / 10.0.19045.7548 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Incorrect implementation of authentication algorithm in Windows SMB Server allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

In the news

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

Vulnerability in Windows SMB Server's authentication algorithm enables an authorized attacker to escalate privileges by exploiting the flawed authentication logic. The attacker already has valid network credentials but can leverage this flaw to gain higher-level access. This appears to be a protocol-level or implementation issue in Windows' SMB authentication handling.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Windows Server and Windows clients addressing SMB authentication flaws. Ensure SMB signing is enforced and follow Microsoft hardening guidance for SMB servers.

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 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 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.5386
Windows Server 2025Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.33158

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 version and build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to display the installed Windows version and build number
    Affected if The build number is below the threshold for your Windows version (19044.7548 for 21h2, 19045.7548 for 22h2, 26100.8875 for 24h2, 26200.8875 for 25h2, 28000.2269/28000.2525 for 26h1, 20348.5386 for Server 2022, or 26100.33158 for Server 2025)
  2. Verify SMB Server service status
    Run 'Get-Service -Name SmbServer' in PowerShell or check Services.msc for the SMB Server service to see if it is installed and running
    Affected if The SMB Server service is enabled and running, making the SMB authentication component active on the system
  3. Identify enabled SMB protocol versions
    Run 'Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select-Object -Property EnableSMB1Protocol,EnableSMB2Protocol' in PowerShell to see which SMB versions are enabled
    Affected if SMB1 or SMB2 is enabled (SMB1 is deprecated and often flagged as insecure, SMB2/3 are the versions affected by this authentication flaw)
  4. Check current SMB signing configuration
    Run 'Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select-Object -Property RequireSecuritySignature' in PowerShell to see if SMB signing is required
    Affected if SMB signing is not required (RequireSecuritySignature is false), leaving the authentication mechanism exposed to manipulation attempts

The system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions with a build number below the threshold AND has the SMB Server service enabled with SMB authentication accessible to the attacker.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.0.19044.7548 / 10.0.19045.7548 / 10.0.20348.5386 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19044.754810.0.19045.754810.0.20348.5386
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Server and Windows clients addressing SMB authentication flaws. Ensure SMB signing is enforced and follow Microsoft hardening guidance for SMB servers.

Fix this in Windows 10 21h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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-2026-50360 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