Local privilege escalation via use-after-free
Published Aug 12, 2025 · Updated Feb 13, 2026
Use-after-free in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows local users to elevate privileges on affected Windows systems. Microsoft identifies the driver and memory-lifetime error but has not disclosed the affected object, function, or operation that reuses freed memory. Exploitation requires existing low-privilege local access and a high-complexity trigger; successful exploitation grants elevated execution on the host.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock allows local users to elevate privileges on affected Windows systems. Microsoft identifies the driver and memory-lifetime error but has not disclosed the affected object, function, or operation that reuses freed memory. Exploitation requires existing low-privilege local access and a high-complexity trigger; successful exploitation grants elevated execution on the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-53137
- Published
- Aug 12, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 12, 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
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.21100
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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