KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE — BSOD Security and Buffer Overflow Detection

Fix Windows BSOD KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE caused by driver corruption, buffer overflows, or system file integrity violations. This guide covers everything you need to know about this topic, including common causes, step-by-step solutions, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Here are the key things to understand: KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x00000139) indicates Windows detected a security violation in kernel code. Often triggered by buffer overflow detection, stack corruption, or integer overflow in a driver. More common after driver updates, Windows Updates, or hardware changes. May also occur during sleep/wake transitions due to driver power management bugs. This is a security-hardening feature — Windows intentionally crashes to prevent exploitation. Understanding these fundamentals will help you diagnose and resolve this issue more effectively.

The most common reasons this occurs include: Corrupted or incompatible driver triggering a buffer overflow check failure. System file corruption violating kernel code integrity checks. Hardware issues (RAM, SSD) causing data corruption that triggers security checks. Sleep/hibernate resume failure in a driver's power management code. Identifying the root cause is the first step toward finding the right solution.

To resolve this, follow these recommended steps: Check the minidump file (C:\Windows\Minidump\) using WinDbg or WhoCrashed to identify the faulting driver. Update all drivers, especially GPU, network, and storage drivers from manufacturer websites. Run 'sfc /scannow' and 'DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth' to repair corrupted system files. If crashes occur during sleep: update BIOS and chipset drivers, or disable sleep temporarily to confirm. Test RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic or memtest86+ to rule out hardware memory corruption. If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider consulting additional resources or a qualified professional.

This article is part of our Windows Error Codes collection on Error Codes Wiki. We provide comprehensive, up-to-date information to help you find solutions quickly.