CVE-2025-50152
7.8Microsoft · Windows
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Windows Kernel allows an authenticated local attacker to achieve privilege escalation.
Executive summary
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Windows Kernel, tracked as CVE-2025-50152, allows an authenticated attacker to elevate privileges on affected Windows systems.
Vulnerability
This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) flaw within the Windows Kernel. It requires an attacker to possess low-level local authentication to successfully execute the exploit.
Business impact
The exploitation of this vulnerability permits a local user to gain elevated privileges, potentially resulting in full system compromise. With a CVSS score of 7.8, this flaw presents a high risk to organizational security, as it facilitates unauthorized access to sensitive data and administrative control over the underlying host.
Remediation
Immediate Action: Apply the relevant Microsoft security updates identified in the official MSRC update guide for the specific version of Windows in use.
Proactive Monitoring: Review system audit logs for unusual process execution patterns or unauthorized attempts to access kernel-level resources by standard user accounts.
Compensating Controls: Ensure the principle of least privilege is strictly enforced across the environment to limit the number of users capable of executing local code.
Exploitation status
Public Exploit Available: Unknown.
Analyst recommendation
The severity of this vulnerability necessitates prompt action to mitigate the risk of privilege escalation. System administrators should prioritize the deployment of the vendor-supplied patches across all identified Windows platforms to ensure the kernel is protected against this out-of-bounds read flaw.
More Microsoft CVEs
Sources
- Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability Vendor advisory