CVE-2025-49739
Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 17.8.0 – 17.8.23
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-49739 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio 2022. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked in the top 48% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV 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-2025-49739 is an improper link resolution before file access vulnerability, commonly referred to as 'link following', affecting Visual Studio. Published on 2025-07-08, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. The flaw enables unauthorized privilege elevation due to inadequate validation of symbolic links prior to file operations.
An unauthorized attacker can exploit this vulnerability over a network with low attack complexity and no required privileges, though it demands user interaction. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to elevate privileges, achieving high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.
The Microsoft Security Response Center has published an update guide detailing mitigations and patches for CVE-2025-49739 at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-49739. Security practitioners should consult this advisory for specific remediation steps.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-20538
Vulnerability Data
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Visual Studio allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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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.