Executive brief
A security vulnerability exists in the Windows Graphics Kernel, a core component responsible for managing visual displays and hardware acceleration. An attacker who already has basic access to a computer could exploit this flaw to gain full administrative control over the system. This could allow them to bypass security restrictions, access sensitive data, or install malicious software.
Technical details
A race condition (CWE-362) exists in the Microsoft Windows Graphics Kernel due to improper synchronization when accessing shared resources. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first gain local execution privileges on the target system. By successfully winning the race condition during concurrent execution, the attacker can achieve local privilege escalation (LPE), potentially gaining SYSTEM-level access. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue by improving resource synchronization within the kernel.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2
- Microsoft Windows 11 22H3, 23H2, 24H2, 25H2
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016 All versions
Timeline
- 2026-01-13: advisory: Initial disclosure by Microsoft and NVD