Local privilege escalation via null pointer dereference
Published May 13, 2025 · Updated Feb 13, 2026
A null pointer dereference in the Windows ExecutionContext Driver before build 26100.4061 allows local users to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies the component and weakness but has not published the driver routine or attacker-controlled input that produces the null pointer. Exploitation requires local code execution and high-complexity conditions, but no prior privileges or user interaction, and successful exploitation grants elevated privileges.
Summary
What happened
A null pointer dereference in the Windows ExecutionContext Driver before build 26100.4061 allows local users to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies the component and weakness but has not published the driver routine or attacker-controlled input that produces the null pointer. Exploitation requires local code execution and high-complexity conditions, but no prior privileges or user interaction, and successful exploitation grants elevated privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-29838
- Published
- May 13, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 13, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.4061
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo