About this tag
The atbroker tag on WindowsForum.com covers discussions about the Windows Accessibility Broker process (ATBroker.exe), including security vulnerabilities and startup errors. Recent threads highlight two Microsoft-patched CVEs from March 2026: an information-disclosure flaw (CVE-2026-25186) and an elevation-of-privilege bug (CVE-2026-24291), both affecting ATBroker.exe. These vulnerabilities are rated Important and require local authenticated access, making them relevant for enterprise IT and security teams prioritizing patch management. Additionally, users report startup issues where ATBroker.exe fails with error code 0xc0000022, preventing Explorer.exe from loading normally. Content focuses on Microsoft security updates, Windows accessibility infrastructure, and troubleshooting application errors.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    Microsoft Patch Fixes Windows ATBroker Information Disclosure CVE-2026-25186

    Microsoft has released fixes for a newly catalogued information-disclosure flaw in the Windows Accessibility Infrastructure — tracked as CVE-2026-25186 — that affects the ATBroker.exe helper process. The vulnerability allows a local, authenticated attacker to disclose sensitive information from...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Microsoft Patches ATBroker Elevation Bug CVE-2026-24291 in Windows Accessibility

    Microsoft has patched an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows Accessibility Infrastructure (ATBroker.exe) as part of the March 10, 2026 Patch Tuesday, closing a local privilege-escalation vector that could be weaponized after an attacker obtains a foothold on a machine. The...
  3. B

    Windows 7 Explorer.exe unable to run at startup

    I am having a problem starting windows in regular mode. Safe mode works fine but when trying to start regular mode I get an error mesage that says "AtBroker.exe - Application Error" The application was unable to start correctly. When I click OK it then shows the same message for explorer.exe...
    • brianrota
    • Thread
    • application atbroker blank screen error explorer safe mode startup troubleshooting windows
    • Replies: 2
    • Forum: Windows Help and Support