Windows DWM Out-of-Bounds Read Privilege Escalation
CVE-2025-55681 is a local elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM). The issue is described as an out-of-bounds read in dwmcore.dll, specifically in the CBrushRenderingGraphBuilder::AddEffectBrush function, caused by improper buffer handling. A local, authorized attacker can exploit the flaw after obtaining code execution on the target system, with no further user interaction required, to elevate privileges. Reporting indicates the exploit is highly reliable on Windows 11 and less stable but still functional on older supported Windows versions due to heap memory management differences.
Are you exposed to this one?
Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.
Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
8 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A critical out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability in the Desktop Window Manager (dwmcore.dll) allows local attackers to escalate privileges to SYSTEM on all supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server versions. Exploitation requires local access but no user interaction, making it highly dangerous in enterprise environments.
One of 11 important vulnerabilities considered more likely to be exploited, ranging from remote code execution to privilege escalation across desktop and cloud environments.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.