Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-27729

High

Published: 08 April 2025

Published
08 April 2025
Modified
08 July 2025
KEV Added
Patch
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0162 82.3th percentile
Risk Priority 17 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2025-27729 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 21H2. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 17.7% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis

CVE-2025-27729 is a use-after-free vulnerability, tracked as CWE-416, that affects the Windows Shell component. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 and permits an attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected system when successfully triggered.

An unauthorized local attacker can exploit the issue without any privileges by convincing a user to perform a specific action, such as opening a malicious file. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target host.

Microsoft has published an advisory for CVE-2025-27729 at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-27729 that details available patches and mitigation guidance. The associated EPSS score remains low and unchanged at 0.0162.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Use after free in Windows Shell allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.5737
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.5737
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22621.5189
microsoft
windows 11 23h2
≤ 10.0.22631.5189
microsoft
windows 11 24h2
≤ 10.0.26100.3775
microsoft
windows server 2025
≤ 10.0.26100.3775

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-416

Use-after-free exploits that achieve arbitrary code execution are blocked or significantly hardened by non-executable pages and ASLR.

References