CVE-2026-50440
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 · uneditedConcurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('race condition') in Windows Audio Service 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 confidenceA race condition vulnerability exists in Windows Audio Service where improper synchronization of shared resources allows a locally authenticated attacker to manipulate timing windows and elevate privileges to SYSTEM level. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have some form of authorized access to the target system.
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< 10.0.26100.8875< 10.0.26200.8875< 10.0.28000.2269< 10.0.28000.2525CVSS 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 11 version and build numberRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to identify the exact Windows 11 release (24h2, 25h2, or 26h1) and build numberAffected if The build number is lower than 10.0.26100.8875 for 24h2, lower than 10.0.26200.8875 for 25h2, or lower than 10.0.28000.2269/10.0.28000.2525 for 26h1
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Verify Windows Audio Service is enabled and runningRun 'Get-Service Audiosrv' in PowerShell or check Services.msc for 'Windows Audio' service statusAffected if The Windows Audio Service (Audiosrv) is running or set to auto-start on the system
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Confirm Audio Service executable versionLocate audiosrv.dll (typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and check its file version via right-click > Properties > Details, or run '(Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\audiosrv.dll).VersionInfo.FileVersion'Affected if The audiosrv.dll version is below the threshold for the detected Windows release
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Check for recent security updates installedRun 'Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -eq "Security Update"} | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10' to list recent security patchesAffected if No security updates addressing this vulnerability have been applied, or the installed updates predate the patch date for CVE-2026-50440
A system is affected if it runs a Windows 11 version within the specified ranges (24h2, 25h2, or 26h1) with build numbers below the thresholds AND has the Windows Audio Service enabled, combined with no corresponding security update installed.
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.
From vendor data10.0.26100.887510.0.26200.887510.0.28000.2269
Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Audio Service once available; monitor Microsoft Security Response Center for patches; implement least-privilege principles to limit local attack surface.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-50440 — 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-2026-50440 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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- 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
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