CVE-2025-21218
Published: 14 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-21218 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (CWE-400) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked in the top 20.0% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SC-5 (Denial-of-service Protection) and SC-6 (Resource Availability).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
SI-2 mandates timely flaw remediation, directly addressing CVE-2025-21218 by requiring patches for the Windows Kerberos DoS vulnerability.
SC-5 provides denial-of-service protection mechanisms such as rate limiting to mitigate remote unauthenticated exploitation causing resource exhaustion in Kerberos.
SC-6 ensures resource availability by protecting against uncontrolled consumption attacks like CWE-400 in the Windows Kerberos component.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct remote unauthenticated exploitation of the Kerberos component causes application/system crash and DoS (availability impact).
NVD Description
Windows Kerberos Denial of Service Vulnerability
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-21218 is a Denial of Service vulnerability in the Windows Kerberos authentication component. Published on January 14, 2025, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, and is associated with CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption).
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity and no user interaction. Exploitation leads to a denial of service condition, causing high impact on system availability while having no effect on confidentiality or integrity.
The Microsoft Security Response Center provides vulnerability details and mitigation guidance, including patches, in their update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21218.
Details
- CWE(s)