Indian Govt Warns Business Over Critical Windows Kernel Vulnerability: Know More

Last Updated:November 19, 2025, 10:04 IST

Windows kernel is a major security issue because hackers can easily bypass the device and access the data.

The Indian government has issued a critical warning for businesses in the country about a major Windows kernel vulnerability that can be exploited to target their data. The warning from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In this week highlights the Windows versions, including the server platforms that can be targeted by hackers to exploit the issues that can cause major service disruption. 

Windows Business Alert: What The Warning Says 

The security bulletin dated November 18, 2025 from CERT-In comes with a high severity rating and explains the issue and how it affects a wide range of Windows versions. “This vulnerability in Microsoft Windows kernel exists due to concurrent execution using shared resources with improper synchronization (race condition). An attacker with local, low-privilege access can trigger a race condition in the kernel component by forcing multiple threads to access a shared resource concurrently without proper locking or synchronization." 

What this alert says is that attackers can locally gain access to the device and use the vulnerability to gather data without needing to break any security measure. These tricks can be used to manipulate the data or cause a service disruption which can be costly for businesses.

The agency also points out that anybody using the Windows operating system can be targeted. 

Windows Kernel Issue: Who Is Affected? 

The list of Windows versions affected by the kernel risk are: 

Windows 10 version 1809 from 10.0.17763.0 before 10.0.17763.8027Windows 10 version 21H2 from 10.0.19044.0 before 10.0.19044.6575Windows 10 version 22H2 from 10.0.19045.0 before 10.0.19045.6575Windows 11 version 25H2 from 10.0.26200.0 before 10.0.26200.7171Windows 11 version 22H3 from 10.0.22631.0 before 10.0.22631.6199Windows 11 version 23H2 from 10.0.22631.0 before 10.0.22631.6199Windows 11 version 24H2 from 10.0.26100.0 before 10.0.26100.7171Windows server 2019 versions from 10.0.17763.0 before 10.0.17763.8027Windows server 2019 (Server Core installation) versions from 10.0.17763.0 before 10.0.17763.8027Windows server 2022 versions from 10.0.20348.0 before 10.0.20348.4405Windows server 2025 versions from 10.0.26100.0 before 10.0.26100.7171Windows server 2025 (Server Core installation) versions from 10.0.26100.0 before 10.0.26100.7171Windows Server 2022, 23H2 (Server Core installation) versions from 10.0.25398.0 before 10.0.25398.1965

Microsoft has issued a timely update to fix these issues and close the gaps that could be exploited to steal data or cause further damage. You can install the new version for your Windows systems using these steps: 

Go to Settings on Windows PCCheck for new software updateInstall the new versionReboot the PC for the update to take effect

The government has also pointed out that the version build numbers could differ for companies so they should get with IT administrators before pulling the update process.

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