CVE-2026-21265

Windows Secure Boot stores Microsoft certificates in the UEFI KEK and DB. These original certificates are approaching expiration, and devices containing affected certificate versions must update them to maintain Secure Boot functionality and avoid compromising security by losing security fixes related to Windows boot manager or Secure Boot.
The operating systems certificate update protection mechanism relies on firmware components that might contain defects, which can cause certificate trust updates to fail or behave unpredictably. This leads to potential disruption of the Secure Boot trust chain and requires careful validation and deployment to restore intended security guarantees.



Certificate Authority (CA)
Location
Purpose
Expiration Date




Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011
KEK
Signs updates to the DB and DBX
06/24/2026


Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011
DB
Signs 3rd party boot loaders, Option ROMs, etc.
06/27/2026


Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011
DB
Signs the Windows Boot Manager
10/19/2026



For more information see this CVE and Windows Secure Boot certificate expiration and CA updates.
ProviderTypeBase ScoreAtk. VectorAtk. ComplexityPriv. RequiredVector
NISTNIST
6.4 MEDIUM
LOCAL
HIGH
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
microsoftCNA
6.4 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C