CVE-2026-45585
MediumCVSS 6.8Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Elevated risk69th percentile - higher than 69% of all known CVEs
Summary
Microsoft confirmed a Windows vulnerability called 'YellowKey' that bypasses security features. Proof of concept has been published. Users with TPM+PIN are not affected. Microsoft provided temporary mitigations.
Risk Assessment
An attacker with physical access can bypass Windows security, risking data theft or system takeover.
Recommendation
Implement the temporary mitigations described by Microsoft until the official security update is released.
Other vulnerabilities in Windows
See all- CVE-2017-0166High
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Windows due to improper calculation of LDAP request buffer lengths. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious traffic to a Domain Controller using a specially crafted application.
- CVE-2023-45284Medium
The IsLocal function on Windows incorrectly detects reserved device names in some cases. Reserved names followed by spaces (e.g., "COM1 ") and names "COM" and "LPT" with superscript 1, 2, or 3 are incorrectly reported as local. The fix ensures IsLocal now correctly identifies these.
- CVE-2024-38217MediumActively exploited
Security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows Mark of the Web. It allows an attacker to bypass security protections related to files downloaded from the internet.
- CVE-2023-36584MediumActively exploited
Security Feature Bypass vulnerability in Windows Mark of the Web. Technical details are not available in the description.
- CVE-2022-41091MediumActively exploited
Security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows Mark of the Web. It allows an attacker to bypass security protections related to files downloaded from the internet.
- CVE-2022-41049MediumActively exploited
Security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows Mark of the Web. It allows an attacker to bypass security protections related to files downloaded from the internet.
- CVE-2021-36934HighActively exploited
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists due to overly permissive Access Control Lists (ACLs) on multiple system files, including the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. An attacker could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges, install programs, view/change/delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights.
- CVE-2020-1067High
A remote code execution vulnerability in Windows due to improper handling of objects in memory. An attacker with a domain user account could exploit it by creating a specially crafted request. The update corrects how Windows handles objects in memory.
- CVE-2018-8440HighActively exploited
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC). This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.
- CVE-2000-0222High
The installation for Windows 2000 does not activate the Administrator password until the system has rebooted, allowing remote attackers to connect to the ADMIN$ share without a password until the reboot occurs.
Original NVD description (English source)
Microsoft is aware of a security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows publicly referred to as "YellowKey". The proof of concept for this vulnerability has been made public violating coordinated vulnerability best practices. We are issuing this CVE to provide mitigation guidance that can be implemented to protect against this vulnerability until the security update is made available. Mitigation FAQs Should I leverage the temporary mitigation? Microsoft recommends that you consider implementing these mitigations if you are concerned your devices and data are at risk of being compromised or stolen. For example, if your organization’s employees take their work devices home or on business travel. What impact to service availability/management could be caused by implementing the mitigations? Implementing these mitigations will not impact service availability or management operations. Do customers need to revert the changes made to mitigate the vulnerability once the security update to protect against this vulnerability is available? No. The security update will maintain the mitigation's behavior once the security update is installed. I am using TPM+PIN, am I at risk of this vulnerability being exploited No, if you are using TPM+PIN the vulnerability is not exploitable.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS

