Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-21268

Microsoft Windows 10 1507 ≤ 10.0.10240.20890

Published
14 January 2025
Modified
27 January 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.020 79th percentile
Risk Priority 41 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-21268 is a medium-severity Improper Resolution of Path Equivalence (CWE-41) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. Its CVSS base score is 4.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked in the top 21% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

CWE(s)
CWE-41NVD-CWE-noinfo

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
attack.mitre.org →
T1083 File and Directory Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may enumerate files and directories or may search in specific locations of a host or network share for certain information within a file system.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-21189Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21332Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21328Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21247Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21329Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-54107Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21269Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2024-30073Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21219Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2026-23674Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1607

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.20890 · ≤ 10.0.10240.20890
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.7699 · ≤ 10.0.14393.7699
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.6775 · ≤ 10.0.17763.6775
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.5371
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.5371
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22621.4751
microsoft
windows 11 23h2
≤ 10.0.22631.4751
microsoft
windows 11 24h2
≤ 10.0.26100.2894
microsoft
windows server 2008
all versions, r2
microsoft
windows server 2012
all versions, r2
+5 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation of file paths directly rejects or normalizes the special-character manipulations that create equivalent names.

AC-3 Access Enforcement partial match

Proper enforcement of file access authorizations structurally blocks disclosure when equivalent paths are presented.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of improper path-resolution logic in software.

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Path-equivalence flaws enable unauthorized file access that network segmentation and logical access controls can partially block.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly require canonical path resolution and input sanitization to prevent equivalence attacks.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can detect path-equivalence flaws before release, partially fulfilling the control.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle includes path-handling requirements that reduce equivalence-based disclosure.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can mandate canonicalization and input validation to block path equivalence.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles call for safe file-system abstractions that mitigate path traversal risks.

A.8.3 Information access restriction none match
none

Information access restriction limits what files can be reached, indirectly reducing impact of path-equivalence exploits.

References