Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2026-54114

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.17763.9020 / 10.0.19044.7548 or later.

See remediation →

80/100

Remediation priority · High

Zero-click 5 weeks old

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use after free in Windows Win32K allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

In the news

Third-party coverage

covered by 1 outlet this week · latest 1mo ago

Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in Windows Win32K (the kernel-mode graphics subsystem) allows a locally authenticated attacker to elevate privileges to higher integrity levels. The flaw involves improper memory management where a freed memory region is accessed after being deallocated, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft Windows security update addressing this Win32K use-after-free vulnerability. Prioritize workstations and servers with interactive users, as local access is required for exploitation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

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 2019Operating system

Affected:< 10.0.17763.9020

Windows Server 2022Operating system

Affected:< 10.0.20348.5386

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check installed Windows version

Run 'winver' from command prompt or execute 'systeminfo' in cmd.exe and locate the 'OS Version' field

Affected if The displayed version number is lower than any of the following: 10.0.17763.9020 (Windows 10 1809/Server 2019), 10.0.19044.7548 (Windows 10 21h2), 10.0.19045.7548 (Windows 10 22h2), 10.0.20348.5386 (Windows Server 2022), 10.0.26100.8875 (Windows 11 24h2), 10.0.26200.8875 (Windows 11 25h2), 10.0.2800
Confirm Win32K graphics subsystem is present

Check that the system has a graphical interface (Win32K.sys is always loaded on Windows desktop and server editions with GUI enabled)

Affected if The system runs a full Windows GUI environment (Win32K.sys loads automatically on all affected Windows editions)
Identify exact build number for precise comparison

Run 'winver' or check 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the full build number including the revision (e.g., 17763, 19044, etc.)

Affected if The build number is below the specific threshold for that Windows release branch as listed in step 1

If the installed Windows build number is lower than the fixed version for that specific Windows release, the system is vulnerable to this Win32K use-after-free privilege escalation flaw.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.0.17763.9020 / 10.0.19044.7548 / 10.0.19045.7548 or later

Fixed in 10.0.17763.902010.0.19044.754810.0.19045.7548

Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft Windows security update addressing this Win32K use-after-free vulnerability. Prioritize workstations and servers with interactive users, as local access is required for exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the specified security update version for your Windows product (10.0.17763.9020 or higher for Windows 10 1809/Server 2019; 10.0.19044.7548 or higher for Windows 10 21h2; 10.0.19045.7548 or higher for Windows 10 22h2; 10.0.26100.8875 or higher for Windows 11 24h2; 10.0.26200.8875 or higher

Identify the current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
Determine which affected product family applies to your system from the list: Windows 10 1809, Windows 10 21h2, Windows 10 22h2, Windows 11 24h2, Windows 11 25h2, Windows 11 26h1, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2022
Open Windows Update: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
Click 'Check for updates' and install all available updates
Alternatively, download the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog matching your OS version and KB number (refer to MSRC advisory for KB)
Restart the system after updates are installed
Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed version for your product: 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, Windows Server 2019: 10.0.17763.9020, Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.5386

Caveat Standard Windows update with no expected breaking changes; as a privilege escalation fix, applying promptly is recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,120

Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-54114 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

msrc.microsoft.comPatchVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-54114 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-54114?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 10.0.17763.9020 / 10.0.19044.7548 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.9%

Affects: Windows 10 1809

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,120

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2026-54114 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

In the news

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References