CVE-2025-21391
Microsoft Windows 10 1507 ≤ 10.0.10240.20915
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-21391 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 19% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-21391 is an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows Storage component. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 and is associated with CWE-59 (improper link resolution before file access). The flaw permits an attacker to manipulate storage-related operations on an affected Windows system.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit the issue without user interaction. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to elevate privileges and achieve high impact on system integrity and availability while leaving confidentiality unaffected.
Microsoft has published remediation guidance in its Security Response Center update guide, and the vulnerability appears in CISA’s catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities, confirming active exploitation in the wild. The associated EPSS score remains low, with a current value of 0.0507 and a peak of 0.0558.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-2452
Vulnerability Data
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 11 February 2025
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V15.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Proper enforcement of access authorizations on the resolved target resource stops a link from reaching an unintended object.
Least-privilege limits the damage an attacker can cause after following an unintended link.
Validating file-name inputs can reject or canonicalize names that resolve to links before access occurs.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
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.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.