CVE-2025-21375
Published: 11 February 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-21375 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 36.7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly remediates the specific kernel driver vulnerability through timely application of vendor patches as recommended in Microsoft's advisory.
Enforces proper input validation to counter the CWE-20 improper input validation flaw in the Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver.
Implements memory protections such as heap isolation and guard pages to block exploitation of the CWE-122 heap-based buffer overflow.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Local kernel driver vulnerability enabling privilege escalation via buffer overflow and improper input validation.
NVD Description
Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-21375 is a Kernel Streaming WOW Thunk Service Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows operating systems. Published on 2025-02-11, the issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow), and NVD-CWE-noinfo.
The vulnerability can be exploited by a local attacker who already possesses low-level privileges on the target system. Exploitation requires low complexity and no user interaction, allowing the attacker to elevate privileges with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Microsoft's advisory provides details on mitigation, available at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21375. Security practitioners should review the update guide for patching instructions and apply relevant updates promptly.
Details
- CWE(s)