CVE-2026-32225: Windows Shell Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Overview

Severity
High (CVSS 8.8)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Category
Security Feature Bypass
Exploit Status
Not Exploited
Exploitation Likelihood
More Likely
Patch Tuesday
2026-Apr
Released
2026-04-14

Description

Protection mechanism failure in Windows Shell allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature over a network.

FAQ

What kind of security feature could be bypassed by successfully exploiting this vulnerability? This vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass SmartScreen protections that rely on the Mark of the Web (MotW) to identify files originating from the internet. How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability? An attacker could exploit this issue by convincing a user to open a specially crafted .lnk file delivered through email, a website download, or removable media. When opened, the shortcut causes Windows to launch commands or Control Panel applets without proper MotW handling, potentially allowing arbitrary command execution or loading attacker‑controlled DLLs. According to the CVSS metric, user interaction is required (UI:R). What interaction would the user have to do? To successfully exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must convince a user to open a malicious link or shortcut file.

Affected Products (31)

Windows

  • Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 11 Version 25H2 for ARM systems
  • Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2025
  • Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 11 Version 26H1 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 version 26H1 for x64-based Systems

ESU

  • Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)

Security Updates (11)

Acknowledgments

Jeong Lee with <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/">Microsoft</a>

Revision History

  • 2026-04-14: Information published.