CVE-2025-53149

7.8

Microsoft · Windows

A heap-based buffer overflow in the Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver allows an authenticated local attacker to achieve privilege escalation.

Executive summary

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver permits local attackers to escalate privileges to administrative levels.

Vulnerability

This is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) within the Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have low-level local privileges to trigger the flaw and execute code at an elevated level.

Business impact

Successful exploitation allows an authorized user to gain unauthorized administrative privileges on the target system. This poses a severe risk to organizational security, as it facilitates full system control, potential data exfiltration, and the ability to bypass security controls. The CVSS score of 7.8 reflects the high severity of this local privilege escalation risk.

Remediation

Immediate Action: Apply the relevant security updates provided by Microsoft in the official update guide for CVE-2025-53149.

Proactive Monitoring: Review system access logs for signs of unauthorized privilege changes or unusual activity associated with local user accounts.

Compensating Controls: Ensure the principle of least privilege is strictly enforced across all user accounts to minimize the potential impact of local escalation attempts.

Exploitation status

Public Exploit Available: No

Analyst recommendation

Given the potential for full system compromise, IT administrators must prioritize the deployment of the vendor patches across all affected Windows environments. Organizations should verify that internal patch management cycles are synchronized with Microsoft's security release schedule to mitigate this privilege escalation risk effectively.

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