CVE-2026-50493
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 · uneditedUse after free in Windows Graphics Kernel 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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Windows Graphics Kernel that allows a locally authenticated attacker to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level. The flaw involves improper memory management where memory is accessed after being freed, leading to arbitrary code execution in kernel context.
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< 10.0.17763.9020< 10.0.19044.7548< 10.0.19045.7548< 10.0.26100.8875< 10.0.26200.8875< 10.0.28000.2269< 10.0.28000.2525< 10.0.17763.9020< 10.0.20348.5386CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed Windows version and build numberOpen Command Prompt and run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"`. Alternatively, query the registry at `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion` for the "CurrentBuild" and "DisplayVersion" values.Affected if The build number falls below the threshold for your specific Windows edition (e.g., below 10.0.17763.9020 for Windows 10 1809/Server 2019, below 10.0.19044.7548 for Windows 10 21h2, below 10.0.19045.7548 for Windows 10 22h2, below 10.0.26100.8875 for Windows 11 24h2, below 10.0.26200.8875 for Window
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Confirm the Windows editionRun `winver` or check System Properties to identify whether the system is Windows 10 1809, 21h2, 22h2, Windows 11 24h2/25h2/26h1, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2022, as the affected version thresholds differ per edition.Affected if The system is any of the listed affected editions and the build number from step 1 is below the corresponding threshold.
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Verify Graphics Kernel component presenceThis vulnerability resides in the Windows Graphics Kernel (win32k.sys). Confirm the kernel component exists by checking `C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys` exists, which is present on all standard Windows installations.Affected if The win32k.sys file is present, which is the default for all affected Windows installations.
You are affected if your Windows edition matches one of the listed products and your installed build number is lower than the specified threshold for that edition.
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 data10.0.17763.902010.0.19044.754810.0.19045.7548
Apply Microsoft security updates for Windows Graphics Kernel immediately. Until patches are available, limit local user privileges and monitor for indicators of compromise targeting graphics kernel components.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-50493 — 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-2026-50493 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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