Home/CVE/Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to
CVE

CVE-2025-21204

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

HIGH · CVSS 7.8 EPSS 0.04805
Schedule remediation
  • CVSS base score ≥ 7.0
Sigma rules0 YARA rules0
⬡

Weakness Classification

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
▤

Affected Products & Versions

15
microsoft windows 10 1507< 10.0.10240.20978
microsoft windows 10 1607< 10.0.14393.7969
microsoft windows 10 1809< 10.0.17763.7136
microsoft windows 10 21h2< 10.0.19044.5737
microsoft windows 10 22h2< 10.0.19045.5737
microsoft windows 11 22h2< 10.0.22621.5189
microsoft windows 11 23h2< 10.0.22631.5189
microsoft windows 11 24h2< 10.0.26100.3775
▣

Scoring & Timeline

7.8
HIGH · CVSS v3.1 · secure@microsoft.com
View on NVD
Attack Vector
Network Adjacent Local Physical
Attack Complexity
Low High
Privileges Required
None Low High
User Interaction
None Required
Scope
Unchanged Changed
Confidentiality
None Low High
Integrity
None Low High
Availability
None Low High
Published to NVD08 Apr 2025 · 06:15 PM
CVSS VectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SSVC triage · cisa-vulnrichment
Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total
SSVC asks the questions that actually drive patch urgency: is it being exploited, can attacks be automated, and how total is the impact.
⚑

Vendor Advisories

1
msrcCVE-2025-21204Elevation of Privilege
🔗

References & Sources

2
Source URLs (vendor pages, mailing lists, write-ups). Exploit/PoC links are in their own section above to avoid duplication.
https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-21204-privilege-elevation-vulnerability-in-microsoft-windows-update-stack-detection-scriptTool Signature
https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-21204-privilege-elevation-vulnerability-in-microsoft-windows-update-stack-mitigation-scriptMitigation
Intelligence Graph · click any node to traverse
CVETechnique ActorTool Family
drag to reposition · click any node to traverse · button top-right enlarges
External lookups - second-class, for what we don’t hold ourselves
NVDCVE.orgCISAVulnersExploit-DBGitHub PoCVulnCheck KEVGreyNoise
Vulnerabilities
CISA KEV catalog
CWE weaknesses
CAPEC attack patterns
Package vulnerabilities
Threat intelligence
Threat actors
Tools & malware
ATT&CK techniques
IOCs
Detection & defense
Sigma rules
YARA rules
Atomic Red Team tests
D3FEND countermeasures
Compliance
NIST 800-53
ISO 27001:2022
SOC 2 TSC
PCI-DSS v4.0
CIS Controls v8.1
About
All capabilities
Live statistics
Data sources
Privacy policy
Terms of service
threatengine.sh  ·  Open-source threat intelligence platform  ·  100+ authoritative sources  ·  Every fact traces to its origin