This CVE targets Windows Imaging Component (WIC), a COM-based imaging API that underlies most Windows image processing operations. The uninitialized resource flaw is best understood not as an isolated code quality lapse, but as a structural exposure in a component where initialization paths have become unnecessarily complex through two decades of accumulated codec additions, error handling branches, and backward compatibility shims. WIC sits at the system layer—it processes images for thumbnail generation, clipboard content, UI rendering, and dozens of first and third-party applications. The 'local information disclosure' CVSS 5.5 framing sells this short: uninitialized memory in a system-level component can leak kernel addresses, session tokens, or cached credential fragments depending on what occupied that memory page at allocation time. The 'authorized attacker' qualifier describes the attacker's starting position, not the privilege ceiling—if WIC runs in a higher trust context (SYSTEM services, browser sandbox, or any application processing untrusted image input), the actual risk ceiling is substantially higher than the base score suggests. Defenders should examine whether Microsoft's fix is a localized call-site patch or a structural remediation across multiple codecs and error paths. If it's the former, treat this as a diagnostic signal: Microsoft is likely playing whack-a-mole with WIC initialization gaps rather than addressing the architectural debt. Track whether prior WIC uninitialized resource CVEs received structural fixes or single-site bandages—if the pattern is localized patches, expect similar CVEs to surface regularly as the component continues to evolve. Consider prioritizing detection tooling for WIC initialization anomalies in your environment, particularly in applications that process untrusted image input or run with elevated privileges.
CVE-2026-62740
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 of uninitialized resource in Windows Imaging Component allows an authorized attacker to disclose information locally.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced 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 analysisMemory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.
General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
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< 10.0.14393.9418< 10.0.17763.9115< 10.0.19044.7663< 10.0.19045.7663< 10.0.22631.7517< 10.0.26100.9106< 10.0.26200.9106< 10.0.28000.2704CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 data10.0.14393.941810.0.17763.911510.0.19044.7663
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-62740 — 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 sourcesThis CVE targets Windows Imaging Component (WIC), a COM-based imaging API that underlies most Windows image processing operations. The uninitialized resource flaw is best understood not as an isolated code quality lapse, but as a structural exposure in a component where initialization paths have become unnecessarily complex through two decades of accumulated codec additions, error handling branches, and backward compatibility shims. WIC sits at the system layer—it processes images for thumbnail generation, clipboard content, UI rendering, and dozens of first and third-party applications. The 'local information disclosure' CVSS 5.5 framing sells this short: uninitialized memory in a system-level component can leak kernel addresses, session tokens, or cached credential fragments depending on what occupied that memory page at allocation time. The 'authorized attacker' qualifier describes the attacker's starting position, not the privilege ceiling—if WIC runs in a higher trust context (SYSTEM services, browser sandbox, or any application processing untrusted image input), the actual risk ceiling is substantially higher than the base score suggests. Defenders should examine whether Microsoft's fix is a localized call-site patch or a structural remediation across multiple codecs and error paths. If it's the former, treat this as a diagnostic signal: Microsoft is likely playing whack-a-mole with WIC initialization gaps rather than addressing the architectural debt. Track whether prior WIC uninitialized resource CVEs received structural fixes or single-site bandages—if the pattern is localized patches, expect similar CVEs to surface regularly as the component continues to evolve. Consider prioritizing detection tooling for WIC initialization anomalies in your environment, particularly in applications that process untrusted image input or run with elevated privileges.
Practitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-62740 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
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.
- 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