CVE-2026-25187
published 2026-03-10CVE-2026-25187: Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
PriorityP180high7.8CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCHIHAH
ITWVulnCheck KEV
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
3.18%
86.6th percentile
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Affected
43 ranges· showing 25
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| microsoft | windows_10_1607 | < 10.0.14393.8957 | 10.0.14393.8957 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1809 | < 10.0.17763.8511 | 10.0.17763.8511 |
| microsoft | windows_10_21h2 | < 10.0.19044.7058 | 10.0.19044.7058 |
| microsoft | windows_10_22h2 | < 10.0.19045.7058 | 10.0.19045.7058 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1607 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.8957 | 10.0.14393.8957 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1809 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.8511 | 10.0.17763.8511 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_21h2 | >= 10.0.19044.0 < 10.0.19044.7058 | 10.0.19044.7058 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_22h2 | >= 10.0.19045.0 < 10.0.19045.7058 | 10.0.19045.7058 |
| microsoft | windows_11_23h2 | < 10.0.22631.6783 | 10.0.22631.6783 |
| microsoft | windows_11_24h2 | < 10.0.26100.7979 | 10.0.26100.7979 |
| microsoft | windows_11_25h2 | < 10.0.26200.7979 | 10.0.26200.7979 |
| microsoft | windows_11_26h1 | < 10.0.28000.1719 | 10.0.28000.1719 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_22h3 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.6783 | 10.0.22631.6783 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_23h2 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.6783 | 10.0.22631.6783 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_24h2 | >= 10.0.26100.0 < 10.0.26100.8037 | 10.0.26100.8037 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_25h2 | >= 10.0.26200.0 < 10.0.26200.8037 | 10.0.26200.8037 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_26h1 | >= 10.0.28000.0 < 10.0.28000.1719 | 10.0.28000.1719 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012 | — | — |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012 | >= 6.2.9200.0 < 6.2.9200.25973 | 6.2.9200.25973 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012_r2 | >= 6.3.9600.0 < 6.3.9600.23074 | 6.3.9600.23074 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2016 | < 10.0.14393.8957 | 10.0.14393.8957 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2016 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.8957 | 10.0.14393.8957 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2019 | < 10.0.17763.8511 | 10.0.17763.8511 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2019 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.8511 | 10.0.17763.8511 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2022 | < 10.0.20348.4830 | 10.0.20348.4830 |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →The vulnerability involves improper link resolution (link following) in the Winlogon process — monitor for suspicious symbolic link or junction creation targeting files accessed by winlogon.exe, particularly in the context of privilege escalation attempts. ↗
- →Successful exploitation results in SYSTEM privileges — alert on winlogon.exe spawning unexpected child processes or performing unusual file operations that result in SYSTEM-level token assignment to non-SYSTEM processes. ↗
- →Microsoft assesses this CVE as 'Exploitation More Likely' — prioritize detection and patching on affected Windows systems. ↗
- ·No public exploit exists as of the advisory date; exploitation has not been observed in the wild, but Microsoft rates it as 'Exploitation More Likely'. ↗
- ·Zscaler detection requires both Advanced Cloud Sandbox and Advanced Threat Protection subscriptions to be active for coverage of this CVE. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.17.8HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vulncheck7.8HIGH
vendor_msrc7.8HIGH
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GHSA
GHSA-529j-28j3-4465: Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally
ghsa_unreviewed·2026-03-10
CVE-2026-25187 [HIGH] CWE-59 GHSA-529j-28j3-4465: Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
VulnCheck
Microsoft Windows Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
vulncheck·2026·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2026-25187 [HIGH] Microsoft Windows Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Microsoft Windows Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Affected: Microsoft Windows
Required Action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
Exploitation References: https://www.recordedfuture.com/blog/march-2026-cve-landscape
Microsoft
Winlogon Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
vendor_msrc·2026-03-10·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2026-25187 [HIGH] CWE-59 Winlogon Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Winlogon Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Description: Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
FAQ: What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain SYSTEM privileges.
Winlogon: Winlogon
Microsoft: Microsoft
Customer Action Required: Yes
Impact: Elevation of Privilege
Exploit Status: Publicly Disclosed:No;Exploited:No;Latest Software Release:Exploitation More Likely
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5078752
Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/help/5078752
Reference: https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB5
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
Sophos
March Patch Tuesday visits 15 product families
blogs_sophos·2026-03-13
March Patch Tuesday visits 15 product families
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Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Edition
blogs_krebs·2026-03-11·CVSS 8.8
CVE-2026-21262 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Edition
Microsoft Corp. today pushed security updates to fix at least 77 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. There are no pressing “zero-day” flaws this month (compared to February’s five zero-day treat), but as usual some patches may deserve more rapid attention from organizations using Windows. Here are a few highlights from this month’s Patch Tuesday.
Two of the bugs Microsoft patched today were publicly disclosed previously. CVE-2026-21262 is a weakness that allows an attacker to elevate their privileges on SQL Server 2016 and later editions.
“This isn’t just any elevation of privilege vulnerability, either; the advisory notes that an authorized attacker can elevate privileges to sysadmin over a network,” Rapid7’s Adam Barnett said. “The CVSS v3 base score of
Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Edition
blogs_krebs·2026-03-11·CVSS 8.8
CVE-2026-2126 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Edition
Microsoft Corp. today pushed security updates to fix at least 77 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. There are no pressing “zero-day” flaws this month (compared to February’s five zero-day treat), but as usual some patches may deserve more rapid attention from organizations using Windows. Here are a few highlights from this month’s Patch Tuesday.
Image: Shutterstock, @nwz.
Two of the bugs Microsoft patched today were publicly disclosed previously. CVE-2026-21262 is a weakness that allows an attacker to elevate their privileges on SQL Server 2016 and later editions.
“This isn’t just any elevation of privilege vulnerability, either; the advisory notes that an authorized attacker can elevate privileges to sysadmin over a network,” Rapid7’s Adam Barnett said
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for March 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2026-03-10·CVSS 8.8
CVE-2026-26110 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for March 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for March 2026 which includes 79 vulnerabilities, including three that Microsoft marked as “critical.” The remaining vulnerabilities listed are classified as “important.” Microsoft assessed that exploitation of the three “critical” vulnerabilities is “less likely.”
CVE-2026-26110 and CVE-2026-26113 are “critical” Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities that could allow an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally; the former is a type confusion issue caused by access to a resource using an incompatible type, and the latter is an untrusted pointer dereference.
CVE-2026-26144 is a “critical” information disclosure vulnerability affecting Microsoft Excel. This vulnerability is due to improper neutralization of input in Mi
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for March 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2026-03-10·CVSS 8.8
CVE-2026-26110 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for March 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for March 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for March 2026 which includes 79 vulnerabilities, including three that Microsoft marked as “critical.” The remaining vulnerabilities listed are classified as “important.” Microsoft assessed that exploitation of the three “critical” vulnerabilities is “less likely.”
CVE-2026-26110 and CVE-2026-26113 are “critical” Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities that could allow an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally; the former is a type confusion issue caused by access to a resource using an incompatible type, and the latter is an untrusted pointer dereference.
CVE-2026-26144 is a “critical” information disclosure vulnerability affecti
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Security Update Review | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2026-03-10
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Security Update Review | Qualys
#### Table of Contents
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday forMarch2026
- Adobe Patches for March 2026
- Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched inMarchPatch Tuesday Edition
- Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched inMarchPatch Tuesday Edition
- Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
- Microsoft Release Summary
- Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities inVulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
- Rapid Response with TruRisk Eliminate
- Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
Microsoft has rolled out its March 2026 Patch Tuesday updates, delivering a fresh batch of security fixes designed to keep Windows environments protected from emerging threats. The release addresses multiple vulnerabilities spanning Windows components and other Microsoft products. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to
Bleepingcomputer
Microsoft March 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 79 flaws
blogs_bleepingcomputer·2026-03-10·CVSS 8.8
[HIGH] Microsoft March 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 79 flaws
## Microsoft March 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 79 flaws
## Lawrence Abrams
The number of bugs in each vulnerability category is listed below:
46 Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilities
2 Security Feature Bypass Vulnerabilities
18 Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities
10 Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities
4 Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
4 Spoofing Vulnerabilities
When BleepingComputer reports on Patch Tuesday security updates, we only count those released by Microsoft today. Therefore, the number of flaws does not include 9 Microsoft Edge flaws, Mariner, Payment Orchestrator Service, Azure, and Microsoft Devices Pricing Program flaws fixed earlier this month.
To learn more about the non-security updates released today, you can review our dedicated articles on the
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Security Update Review
blogs_qualys·2026-03-10
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Security Update Review
## Table of Contents
Microsoft Patch Tuesday forMarch2026
Adobe Patches for March 2026
Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched inMarchPatch Tuesday Edition
Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched inMarchPatch Tuesday Edition
Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
Microsoft Release Summary
Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities inVulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
Rapid Response with TruRisk Eliminate
Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
Microsoft has rolled out its March 2026 Patch Tuesday updates, delivering a fresh batch of security fixes designed to keep Windows environments protected from emerging threats. The release addresses multiple vulnerabilities spanning Windows components and other Microsoft products. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.
## Mi
Zscaler
Zscaler protects against 5 new vulnerabilities | 03-10-2026
blogs_zscaler·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Zscaler protects against 5 new vulnerabilities | 03-10-2026
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Wiz
CVE-2026-25187 Impact, Exploitability, and Mitigation Steps | Wiz
blogs_wiz·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2026-25187 [HIGH] CVE-2026-25187 Impact, Exploitability, and Mitigation Steps | Wiz
## CVE-2026-25187 :
vulnerability analysis and mitigation
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
Source : NVD
## 7.8
Score
Published March 10, 2026
Severity HIGH
CNA Score 7.8
Has Public Exploit No
Has CISA KEV Exploit No
CISA KEV Release Date N/A
CISA KEV Due Date N/A
Exploitation Probability Percentile (EPSS) 27.7
Exploitation Probability (EPSS) 0.1
Sources
NVD
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Sophos
March Patch Tuesday visits 15 product families
blogs_sophos
March Patch Tuesday visits 15 product families
Share This
Microsoft on Tuesday released 84 patches affecting 15 product families – including a few you’ve possibly never encountered. Eight of the addressed issues are considered by Microsoft to be of Critical severity, though none of those affect Windows, nor are they expected to be exploited within the next 30 days. In addition, five of those Critical issues were in fact addressed by Microsoft in advance of Patch Tuesday itself, as we’ll discuss below. Twenty-two have a CVSS base score of 8.0 or higher, including one with a 9.8 base score. None are known to be under active exploit in the wild, but two are publicly disclosed so far.
At patch time, six CVEs are judged more likely to be exploited in the next 30 days by the company’s estimation. Various of this month’s issues are amenable
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-25187https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2026-25187-detection-script-winlogon-elevation-of-privilege-vulnerabilityhttps://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2026-25187-mitigation-script-winlogon-elevation-of-privilege-vulnerability
2026-03-10
Published
Exploited in the wild