WinRE in Windows 10 and 11 may let attackers bypass UEFI/BIOS passwords
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-288.
Summary
The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) in Windows 10 and 11 may allow an attacker to bypass firmware security controls, including administrator-configured UEFI/BIOS passwords. The flaw is an authentication bypass through an alternate path (CWE-288). An attacker with physical or administrative access may be able to use WinRE-related boot mechanisms to gain unauthorized access to system resources.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) in Windows 10 and 11 may allow an attacker to bypass firmware security controls, including administrator-configured UEFI/BIOS passwords. An attacker with physical or administrative access to a device may be able to leverage WinRE-related boot mechanisms to circumvent firmware protections and gain unauthorized access to system resources.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
The sources list no fixed version for Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-26 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-116638
- 2026-10-27 Alias added: GHSA-mr3f-4w6j-rh34
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-10-30 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
- 2026-10-30 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-30 Priority changed: LOW → HIGH
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 CVSS score added · Red Hat
Sources
- CVE-2026-116638 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-116638 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mr3f-4w6j-rh34 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-116638 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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