Local privilege escalation via graphics TOCTOU race
Published Oct 14, 2025 · Updated Feb 22, 2026
A TOCTOU race in Microsoft Graphics Component on affected Windows builds allows local users to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies a time-of-check time-of-use race in the graphics component but has not published the affected code path or competing operations. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access and winning a high-complexity race, after which the process gains elevated privileges with complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Summary
What happened
A TOCTOU race in Microsoft Graphics Component on affected Windows builds allows local users to elevate privileges. Microsoft identifies a time-of-check time-of-use race in the graphics component but has not published the affected code path or competing operations. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access and winning a high-complexity race, after which the process gains elevated privileges with complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-59261
- Published
- Oct 14, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 22, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
- Classifications
- CWE-367, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 22, 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=10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.6899
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.
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
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Your stack
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