CVE-2025-21298
published 2025-01-14CVE-2025-21298: Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
critical9.8CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRNUINSUCHIHAH
EPSS
80.91%
99.6th percentile
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Affected
32 ranges· showing 25
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1507 | >= 10.0.10240.0 < 10.0.10240.20890 | 10.0.10240.20890 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1607 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.7699 | 10.0.14393.7699 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1809 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.6775 | 10.0.17763.6775 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_21h2 | >= 10.0.19044.0 < 10.0.19044.5371 | 10.0.19044.5371 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_22h2 | >= 10.0.19045.0 < 10.0.19045.5371 | 10.0.19045.5371 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_22h2 | >= 10.0.22621.0 < 10.0.22621.4751 | 10.0.22621.4751 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_22h3 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.4751 | 10.0.22631.4751 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_23h2 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.4751 | 10.0.22631.4751 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_24h2 | >= 10.0.26100.0 < 10.0.26100.2894 | 10.0.26100.2894 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008_r2_service_pack_1 | >= 6.1.7601.0 < 6.1.7601.27520 | 6.1.7601.27520 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2008_service_pack_2 | >= 6.0.6003.0 < 6.0.6003.23070 | 6.0.6003.23070 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012 | >= 6.2.9200.0 < 6.2.9200.25273 | 6.2.9200.25273 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2012_r2 | >= 6.3.9600.0 < 6.3.9600.22371 | 6.3.9600.22371 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2016 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.7699 | 10.0.14393.7699 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2019 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.6775 | 10.0.17763.6775 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2022 | >= 10.0.20348.0 < 10.0.20348.3091 | 10.0.20348.3091 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2025 | >= 10.0.26100.0 < 10.0.26100.2894 | 10.0.26100.2894 |
| msrc | windows_10 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_10_version_1607 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_10_version_1809 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_10_version_21h2 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_10_version_22h2 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_11_version_22h2 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_11_version_23h2 | — | — |
| msrc | windows_11_version_24h2 | — | — |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →Attack vector is a specially crafted email; monitor for Outlook opening or previewing RTF/OLE-embedded emails from untrusted sources, as both opening and preview-pane rendering can trigger exploitation ↗
- →Exploitation likelihood is rated 'More Likely' by Microsoft for the latest software release — prioritize detection and patching for this CVE accordingly ↗
- ·Microsoft recommends configuring Outlook to read all email in plain text as a workaround; this prevents OLE content from rendering in the preview pane and on open, reducing attack surface ↗
- ·Applying the plain-text workaround has side effects: pictures become attachments, rich content (fonts, animations, pictures) is lost in preview/open, and custom code solutions relying on the object model may behave unexpectedly ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cvelistv59.8CRITICAL
vendor_msrc9.8CRITICAL
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CVEList
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
cvelistv5·2025-01-14·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2025-21298 [CRITICAL] CWE-416 Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Microsoft
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
vendor_msrc·2025-01-14·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2025-21298 [CRITICAL] CWE-416 Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Windows OLE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
FAQ: How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
In an email attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted email to the victim. Exploitation of the vulnerability might involve either a victim opening a specially crafted email with an affected version of Microsoft Outlook software, or a victim's Outlook application displaying a preview of a specially crafted email . This could result in the attacker executing remote code on the victim's machine.
FAQ: What is OLE?
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is a technology that allows embedding and linking to documents and other objects. For more information please visit: Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Data Structures.
Windows OLE: Windows OLE
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
Bleepingcomputer
Microsoft January 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 8 zero-days, 159 flaws
blogs_bleepingcomputer·2025-01-14·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Microsoft January 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 8 zero-days, 159 flaws
## Microsoft January 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 8 zero-days, 159 flaws
## Lawrence Abrams
40 Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilities
14 Security Feature Bypass Vulnerabilities
58 Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities
24 Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities
20 Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
5 Spoofing Vulnerabilities
To learn more about the non-security updates released today, you can review our dedicated articles on the Windows 11 KB5050009 & KB5050021 cumulative updates and the Windows 10 KB5048652 cumulative update.
## Three actively exploited zero-day disclosed
This month's Patch Tuesday fixes three actively exploited and five publicly exposed zero-day vulnerabilities.
Microsoft classifies a zero-day flaw as one that is publicly disclosed or actively exploited while no offi
Krebs
Microsoft: Happy 2025. Here’s 161 Security Updates
blogs_krebs·2025-01-14·CVSS 9.8
[CRITICAL] Microsoft: Happy 2025. Here’s 161 Security Updates
Microsoft today unleashed updates to plug a whopping 161 security vulnerabilities in Windows and related software, including three “zero-day” weaknesses that are already under active attack. Redmond’s inaugural Patch Tuesday of 2025 bundles more fixes than the company has shipped in one go since 2017.
Rapid7‘s Adam Barnett says January marks the fourth consecutive month where Microsoft has published zero-day vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday without evaluating any of them as critical severity at time of publication. Today also saw the publication of nine critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities.
The Microsoft flaws already seeing active attacks include CVE-2025-21333, CVE-2025-21334 and, you guessed it– CVE-2025-21335. These are sequential because all reside in Windows Hyper-V
Tenable
Microsoft’s January 2025 Patch Tuesday Addresses 157 CVEs (CVE-2025-21333, CVE-2025-21334, CVE-2025-21335)
blogs_tenable·2025-01-14·CVSS 7.8
[HIGH] Microsoft’s January 2025 Patch Tuesday Addresses 157 CVEs (CVE-2025-21333, CVE-2025-21334, CVE-2025-21335)
## Cloud Exposure
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## Vulnerability Exposure
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## AI Exposure
Tenable AI Exposure Request a demo
## OT/IoT Exposure
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## Identity Exposure
Tenable Identity Exposure Request a demo
## Business needs
Active Directory
AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM)
AWS security
Azure security
Cloud Security Posture Man
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, January 2025 Security Update Review
blogs_qualys·2025-01-14
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, January 2025 Security Update Review
## Table of Contents
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025
Adobe Patches for January 2025
Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched in January Patch Tuesday Edition
Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in January Patch Tuesday Edition
Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
Microsoft Release Summary
Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities in Vulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
Rapid Response with Patch Management (PM)
EVALUATE Vendor-Suggested Mitigation with Policy Compliance (PC)
Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
Happy New Year! As the calendar turns to January 2025, Microsoft’s first Patch Tuesday of 2025 has arrived. From zero-days to critical vulnerabilities, here’s what deserves your attention. Here’s a breakdown of what’s been patched.
## Microsoft Patch Tu
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2025-01-14·CVSS 8.1
CVE-2025-21309 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for January of 2025 which includes 159 vulnerabilities, including 12 that Microsoft marked as “critical.” The remaining vulnerabilities listed are classified as “important.”
One notable critically rated vulnerability that has been patched this month is CVE-2025-21309 , which is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Windows Remote Desktop Services. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code execution on systems where the Remote Desktop Gateway role has been enabled. This vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1 and is considered “more likely to be exploited” by Microsoft.
Another notable remote code execut
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, January 2025 Security Update Review | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2025-01-14
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, January 2025 Security Update Review | Qualys
#### Table of Contents
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025
- Adobe Patches for January 2025
- Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched in January Patch Tuesday Edition
- Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in January Patch Tuesday Edition
- Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
- Microsoft Release Summary
- Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities in Vulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
- Rapid Response with Patch Management (PM)
- EVALUATE Vendor-Suggested Mitigation with Policy Compliance (PC)
- Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
Happy New Year! As the calendar turns to January 2025, Microsoft’s first Patch Tuesday of 2025 has arrived. From zero-days to critical vulnerabilities, here’s what deserves your attention. Here’s a breakdown of what’s been patched.
## Micro
Krebs
Microsoft: Happy 2025. Here’s 161 Security Updates
blogs_krebs·2025-01-14·CVSS 9.8
[CRITICAL] Microsoft: Happy 2025. Here’s 161 Security Updates
Microsoft today unleashed updates to plug a whopping 161 security vulnerabilities in Windows and related software, including three “zero-day” weaknesses that are already under active attack. Redmond’s inaugural Patch Tuesday of 2025 bundles more fixes than the company has shipped in one go since 2017.
Rapid7 ‘s Adam Barnett says January marks the fourth consecutive month where Microsoft has published zero-day vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday without evaluating any of them as critical severity at time of publication. Today also saw the publication of nine critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities.
The Microsoft flaws already seeing active attacks include CVE-2025-21333 , CVE-2025-21334 and, you guessed it– CVE-2025-21335 . These are sequential because all reside in Windows Hype
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2025-01-14·CVSS 8.1
CVE-2025-21309 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for January 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for January of 2025 which includes 159 vulnerabilities, including 12 that Microsoft marked as “critical.” The remaining vulnerabilities listed are classified as “important.”
One notable critically rated vulnerability that has been patched this month is CVE-2025-21309, which is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Windows Remote Desktop Services. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code execution on systems where the Remote Desktop Gateway role has been enabled. This vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1 and is considered “more likely to be exploited” by Microsoft.
Another notable remote code execution vulnerability in Window Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) was also patched this month
Huntress
What Is Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)? | Key Features | Huntress
blogs_huntress
What Is Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)? | Key Features | Huntress
## What is OLE?
Think of OLE as the ultimate team player for your programs. Here’s how it works in two key ways:
Embedding: This method makes the object a permanent part of your destination document. For example, embedding an Excel table in a Word file stores the spreadsheet directly within the Word document. Even if the source spreadsheet gets deleted, your embedded version stays intact.
Linking: This option keeps the object in its original file, while the destination document references it. For instance, linking an Excel chart to a PowerPoint slide allows the chart to update dynamically whenever the source data changes.
With OLE, managing multiple data formats across different applications becomes remarkably seamless.
## The magic of OLE
At the foundation of OLE lies Microsoft’s Co
Crowdstrike
January 2025 Patch Tuesday: Updates and Analysis
blogs_crowdstrike·CVSS 7.5
CVE-2026-20929 [HIGH] January 2025 Patch Tuesday: Updates and Analysis
How CrowdStrike is Accelerating Exposure Evaluation as Adversaries Gain Speed Apr 06, 2026
STARDUST CHOLLIMA Likely Compromises Axios npm Package Apr 01, 2026
Falcon for IT Supports Windows Secure Boot Certificate Lifecycle Management Apr 01, 2026
Detecting CVE-2026-20929: Kerberos Authentication Relay via CNAME Abuse Mar 31, 2026
How CrowdStrike is Accelerating Exposure Evaluation as Adversaries Gain Speed Apr 06, 2026
STARDUST CHOLLIMA Likely Compromises Axios npm Package Apr 01, 2026
Falcon for IT Supports Windows Secure Boot Certificate Lifecycle Management Apr 01, 2026
Detecting CVE-2026-20929: Kerberos Authentication Relay via CNAME Abuse Mar 31, 2026
Video Highlights the 4 Key Steps to Successful Incident Response Dec 02, 2019
Helping Non-Security Stakeholders Understand AT
2025-01-14
Published