7.8
HIGH
CVE-2025-21204
Windows Update Stack Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description

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

INFO

Published Date :

April 8, 2025, 6:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

April 9, 2025, 8:03 p.m.

Remotely Exploitable :

No

Impact Score :

5.9

Exploitability Score :

1.8
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2025-21204 has a 4 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-21204 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Microsoft windows_server_2008
2 Microsoft windows_server_2012
3 Microsoft windows_server_2016
4 Microsoft windows_server_2019
5 Microsoft windows_server_2022
6 Microsoft windows_11_22h2
7 Microsoft windows
8 Microsoft windows_11_23h2
9 Microsoft windows_server_2022_23h2
10 Microsoft windows_11_24h2
11 Microsoft windows_server_2025
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-21204.

URL Resource
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21204

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

None

Python

Updated: 6 days, 15 hours ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : April 21, 2025, 4:25 a.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.

List for some of my cves

Updated: 5 days, 15 hours ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Aug. 2, 2024, 4:10 a.m. This repo has been linked 18 different CVEs too.

exploits and proof-of-concept vulnerability demonstration files from the team at Hacker House

Python C Shell Perl HTML C++

Updated: 4 days, 13 hours ago
425 stars 104 fork 104 watcher
Born at : March 23, 2019, 9:23 p.m. This repo has been linked 15 different CVEs too.

爬取secwiki和xuanwu.github.io/sec.today,分析安全信息站点、安全趋势、提取安全工作者账号(twitter,weixin,github等)

Python HTML

Updated: 1 day, 5 hours ago
1287 stars 220 fork 220 watcher
Born at : Feb. 19, 2019, 10:24 a.m. This repo has been linked 17 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-21204 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

  • Cyber Security News
Weekly Cyber Security News Letter – Last Week’s Top Cyber Attacks & Vulnerabilities

In today’s hyper-connected world, cyber threats are evolving at breakneck speed, making it more crucial than ever to stay informed and vigilant. Each week, our newsletter delivers a curated roundup of ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 27, 2025 (5 hours, 59 minutes ago)
  • BleepingComputer
Windows "inetpub" security fix can be abused to block future updates

A recent Windows security update that creates an ‘inetpub’ folder has introduced a new weakness allowing attackers to prevent the installation of future updates. After people installed this month's Mi ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 25, 2025 (2 days, 5 hours ago)
  • The Register
Microsoft mystery folder fix might need a fix of its own

Turns out Microsoft's latest patch job might need a patch of its own, again. This time, the culprit is a mysterious inetpub folder quietly deployed by Redmond, now hijacked by a security researcher to ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 24, 2025 (3 days, 2 hours ago)
  • Cyber Security News
Critical Windows Update Stack Vulnerability Allows Code Execution & Privilege Escalation

A security flaw has been identified in the Windows Update Stack, exposing millions of Windows systems to the risk of unauthorized code execution and privilege escalation. Tracked as CVE-2025-21204, th ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 22, 2025 (5 days, 12 hours ago)
  • Daily CyberSecurity
CVE-2025-21204: SYSTEM-Level Privilege Escalation in Windows Update Stack Exposed, PoC Released

Image: Elli Shlomo Security researcher Elli Shlomo published the technical details and a proof-of-concept exploit code for CVE-2025-21204, a severe local privilege escalation flaw within the Windows U ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 22, 2025 (5 days, 19 hours ago)
  • Cyber Security News
Microsoft Asks Windows 11 Users Not to Delete Mysterious “inetpub” Folder

A seemingly empty folder appearing on Windows systems after recent security updates has raised concerns among users, but Microsoft confirms it’s an intentional security measure that should remain unto ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 15, 2025 (1 week, 5 days ago)
  • The Register
Don't delete that mystery empty folder. Windows put it there as a security fix

Canny Windows users who've spotted a mysterious folder on hard drives after applying last week's security patches for the operating system can rest assured – it's perfectly benign. In fact, it's recom ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 14, 2025 (1 week, 5 days ago)
  • security.nl
Microsoft adviseert Windowsgebruikers inetpub-map niet te verwijderen

Microsoft adviseert Windowsgebruikers om een map genaamd 'inetpub' niet te verwijderen. De map wordt aangemaakt na de installatie van een beveiligingsupdate voor een kwetsbaarheid aangeduid als CVE-20 ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 11, 2025 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)
  • BleepingComputer
Microsoft: Windows 'inetpub' folder created by security fix, don’t delete

Microsoft has now confirmed that an April 2025 Windows security update is creating a new empty "inetpub" folder and warned users not to delete it. This folder is typically used by Microsoft's Internet ... Read more

Published Date: Apr 11, 2025 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-21204 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Apr. 08, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows Update Stack allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-59
    Added Reference https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21204
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-21204 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-21204 weaknesses.

CVSS31 - Vulnerability Scoring System
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
© cvefeed.io
Latest DB Update: Apr. 27, 2025 20:09