CVE-2025-21391
published 2025-02-11CVE-2025-21391: Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
PriorityP181high7.1CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCNIHAH
KEVITW
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilitydue 2025-03-04
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
2.26%
81.0th percentile
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Affected
39 ranges· showing 25
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| microsoft | windows_10_1507 | < 10.0.10240.20915 | 10.0.10240.20915 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1607 | < 10.0.14393.7785 | 10.0.14393.7785 |
| microsoft | windows_10_1809 | < 10.0.17763.6893 | 10.0.17763.6893 |
| microsoft | windows_10_21h2 | < 10.0.19044.5487 | 10.0.19044.5487 |
| microsoft | windows_10_22h2 | < 10.0.19045.5487 | 10.0.19045.5487 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1507 | >= 10.0.10240.0 < 10.0.10240.20915 | 10.0.10240.20915 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1607 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.7785 | 10.0.14393.7785 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_1809 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.6893 | 10.0.17763.6893 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_21h2 | >= 10.0.19044.0 < 10.0.19044.5487 | 10.0.19044.5487 |
| microsoft | windows_10_version_22h2 | >= 10.0.19045.0 < 10.0.19045.5487 | 10.0.19045.5487 |
| microsoft | windows_11_22h2 | < 10.0.22621.4890 | 10.0.22621.4890 |
| microsoft | windows_11_23h2 | < 10.0.22631.4890 | 10.0.22631.4890 |
| microsoft | windows_11_24h2 | < 10.0.26100.3107 | 10.0.26100.3107 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_22h2 | >= 10.0.22621.0 < 10.0.22621.4890 | 10.0.22621.4890 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_22h3 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.4890 | 10.0.22631.4890 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_23h2 | >= 10.0.22631.0 < 10.0.22631.4890 | 10.0.22631.4890 |
| microsoft | windows_11_version_24h2 | >= 10.0.26100.0 < 10.0.26100.3194 | 10.0.26100.3194 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2016 | < 10.0.14393.7785 | 10.0.14393.7785 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2016 | >= 10.0.14393.0 < 10.0.14393.7785 | 10.0.14393.7785 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2019 | < 10.0.17763.6893 | 10.0.17763.6893 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2019 | >= 10.0.17763.0 < 10.0.17763.6893 | 10.0.17763.6893 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2022 | < 10.0.20348.3148 | 10.0.20348.3148 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2022 | >= 10.0.20348.0 < 10.0.20348.3207 | 10.0.20348.3207 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2022_23h2 | < 10.0.25398.1425 | 10.0.25398.1425 |
| microsoft | windows_server_2025 | < 10.0.26100.3107 | 10.0.26100.3107 |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →Arbitrary file deletion via this vulnerability can be escalated to full SYSTEM access through symbolic link misuse; monitor for symlink/junction creation by non-privileged processes, especially targeting privileged file paths. ↗
- →This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild with no user interaction required and low attack complexity; treat any Windows Storage privilege escalation attempts as high priority for detection and response. ↗
- →The vulnerability allows deletion of targeted files including data that results in service unavailability; monitor for unexpected deletion of service-critical files or directories, which may indicate exploitation in progress. ↗
- ·The advisory notes no confidentiality loss but high integrity and availability impact; the attacker's capability is scoped to file deletion, not direct code execution — however, this can be chained to SYSTEM privilege escalation via symbolic link techniques. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.17.1HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
vulncheck7.1HIGH
cisa7.1HIGH
vendor_msrc7.1HIGH
CVEs like this are exactly what “Exploited This Week” covers.
Every Monday: what got weaponized or added to CISA KEV in the last seven days — each CVE cross-linked to its PoC, Nuclei template, and detection rule. Free, one email a week, unsubscribe in one click.
GHSA
GHSA-hq9p-wcjc-wqxg: Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
ghsa_unreviewed·2025-02-11
CVE-2025-21391 [HIGH] CWE-59 GHSA-hq9p-wcjc-wqxg: Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
VulnCheck
Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
vulncheck·2025·CVSS 7.1
CVE-2025-21391 [HIGH] CWE-59 Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Storage contains a link following vulnerability that could allow for privilege escalation. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to delete data including data that results in the service being unavailable.
Affected: Microsoft Windows
Required Action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Exploitation References: https://api.msrc.microsoft.com/cvrf/v3.0/cvrf/2025-Feb; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lkNJ0uQwbeC1ZTRrxdtuPLCIl7mlUreoKfSIgajnSyY/edit; https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21391; https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json; https://www.loginsoft.com/reports
CISA
Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
cisa·2025-02-11·CVSS 7.1
CVE-2025-21391 [HIGH] CWE-59 Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
Vulnerability: Microsoft Windows Storage Link Following Vulnerability
Affected: Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows Storage contains a link following vulnerability that could allow for privilege escalation. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to delete data including data that results in the service being unavailable.
Required Action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Notes: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21391 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21391
Remediation Due Date: 2025-03-04
Microsoft
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
vendor_msrc·2025-02-11·CVSS 7.1
CVE-2025-21391 [HIGH] CWE-59 Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
FAQ: What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability?
An attacker would be able to delete targeted files on a system.
FAQ: According to the CVSS metrics, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to no loss of confidentiality (C:N), but could lead to major loss on integrity (I:H) and availability (A:H). What does that mean for this vulnerability?
This vulnerability does not allow disclosure of any confidential information, but could allow an attacker to delete data that could include data that results in the service being unavailable.
Windows Storage: Windows Storage
Microsoft: Microsoft
Customer Action Required: Yes
Impact: Elevation of Privilege
Exploit Status: Publicly
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Edition
blogs_krebs·2025-02-12·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2025-21418 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Edition
Microsoft today issued security updates to fix at least 56 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and supported software, including two zero-day flaws that are being actively exploited.
All supported Windows operating systems will receive an update this month for a buffer overflow vulnerability that carries the catchy name CVE-2025-21418 . This patch should be a priority for enterprises, as Microsoft says it is being exploited, has low attack complexity, and no requirements for user interaction.
Tenable senior staff research engineer Satnam Narang noted that since 2022, there have been nine elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in this same Windows component — three each year — including one in 2024 that was exploited in the wild as a zero day (CVE-2024-38193).
“CVE-2024-3819
Krebs
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Edition
blogs_krebs·2025-02-12·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2025-21418 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Edition
Microsoft today issued security updates to fix at least 56 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and supported software, including two zero-day flaws that are being actively exploited.
All supported Windows operating systems will receive an update this month for a buffer overflow vulnerability that carries the catchy name CVE-2025-21418. This patch should be a priority for enterprises, as Microsoft says it is being exploited, has low attack complexity, and no requirements for user interaction.
Tenable senior staff research engineer Satnam Narang noted that since 2022, there have been nine elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in this same Windows component — three each year — including one in 2024 that was exploited in the wild as a zero day (CVE-2024-38193).
“CVE-2024-38193
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2025-02-11·CVSS 8.7
CVE-2025-21376 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for February of 2025 which includes 63 vulnerabilities affecting a range of products, including 4 that Microsoft marked as “critical” and one marked as "moderate."
There are two notable "critical" vulnerabilities. The first is CVE-2025-21376, which is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting the Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). This vulnerability is a remote unauthenticated Out-of-bounds Write (OOBW) caused by a race condition in LDAP and could potentially result in arbitrary code execution in the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (lsass.exe). This is a process in the Microsoft Windows operating systems that is responsible for enforcing the security policy on the system. Successful exploitation o
Talos
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
blogs_talos·2025-02-11·CVSS 8.7
CVE-2025-21376 [HIGH] Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released its monthly security update for February of 2025 which includes 63 vulnerabilities affecting a range of products, including 4 that Microsoft marked as “critical” and one marked as "moderate."
There are two notable "critical" vulnerabilities. The first is CVE-2025-21376 , which is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting the Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). This vulnerability is a remote unauthenticated Out-of-bounds Write (OOBW) caused by a race condition in LDAP and could potentially result in arbitrary code execution in the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (lsass.exe). This is a process in the Microsoft Windows operating systems tha
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Security Update Review
blogs_qualys·2025-02-11
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Security Update Review
## Table of Contents
Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025
Adobe Patches for February 2025
Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched in February Patch Tuesday Edition
Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in February Patch Tuesday Edition
Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
Microsoft Release Summary
Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities inVulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
Rapid Response withPatch Management (PM)
Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
As the second Patch Tuesday of 2025 arrives, Microsoft has released crucial updates to strengthen cybersecurity defenses. Let’s explore the highlights and what they mean for users.
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025
Microsoft Patch’s Tuesday, February 2025 edition addressed 67 vulnerabilities, including t
Qualys
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Security Update Review | Qualys
blogs_qualys·2025-02-11
Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday, February 2025 Security Update Review | Qualys
#### Table of Contents
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025
- Adobe Patches for February 2025
- Zero-day Vulnerabilities Patched in February Patch Tuesday Edition
- Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in February Patch Tuesday Edition
- Other Microsoft Vulnerability Highlights
- Microsoft Release Summary
- Discover and Prioritize Vulnerabilities inVulnerability Management, Detection & Response (VMDR)
- Rapid Response withPatch Management (PM)
- Qualys Monthly Webinar Series
As the second Patch Tuesday of 2025 arrives, Microsoft has released crucial updates to strengthen cybersecurity defenses. Let’s explore the highlights and what they mean for users.
## Microsoft Patch Tuesday for February 2025
Microsoft Patch’s Tuesday, February 2025 edition addressed 67 vulnerabilities,
Bleepingcomputer
Microsoft February 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 4 zero-days, 55 flaws
blogs_bleepingcomputer·2025-02-11·CVSS 7.1
[HIGH] Microsoft February 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 4 zero-days, 55 flaws
## Microsoft February 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 4 zero-days, 55 flaws
## Lawrence Abrams
19 Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilities
2 Security Feature Bypass Vulnerabilities
22 Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities
1 Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities
9 Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
3 Spoofing Vulnerabilities
The above numbers do not include a critical Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales elevation of privileges flaw and 10 Microsoft Edge vulnerabilities fixed on February 6.
To learn more about the non-security updates released today, you can review our dedicated articles on the Windows 11 KB5051987 & KB5051989 cumulative updates and the Windows 10 KB5051974 update .
## Two actively exploited zero-day disclosed
This month's Patch Tuesday fixes two actively exploited and two public
Tenable
Microsoft’s February 2025 Patch Tuesday Addresses 55 CVEs (CVE-2025-21418, CVE-2025-21391)
blogs_tenable·2025-02-11·CVSS 7.1
[HIGH] Microsoft’s February 2025 Patch Tuesday Addresses 55 CVEs (CVE-2025-21418, CVE-2025-21391)
## Cloud Exposure
Tenable Cloud Security (CNAPP) Request a demo
Tenable Cloud Vulnerability Management Request a demo
Tenable CIEM Request a demo
Secure your cloud
## Vulnerability Exposure
Tenable Vulnerability Management Try for free
Tenable Security Center Request a demo
Tenable Web App Scanning Try for free
Tenable Patch Management Request a demo
Tenable Enclave Security Request a demo
Tenable Attack Surface Management Request a demo
Tenable Nessus Try for free
## AI Exposure
Tenable AI Exposure Request a demo
## OT/IoT Exposure
Tenable OT Security Request a demo
## 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
Crowdstrike
February 2025 Patch Tuesday: Updates and Analysis
blogs_crowdstrike·CVSS 7.5
CVE-2026-20929 [HIGH] February 2025 Patch Tuesday: Updates and Analysis
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 Charlotte AI AgentWorks Fuels Security's Agentic Ecosystem Mar 25, 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 Charlotte AI AgentWorks Fuels Security's Agentic Ecosystem Mar 25, 2026
Video Highlights the 4 Key Steps to Successful Incident Response Dec 02, 2019
Helping Non-Security Stakeholders Understand ATT&CK in 10 Minutes or Less [VI
2025-02-11
Published
2025-02-11
Added to CISA KEV
Exploited in the wild