Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-59295

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 r2

Published
14 October 2025
Modified
17 October 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.018 77th percentile
Risk Priority 67 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-59295 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 23% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — 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-2025-59295 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, classified under CWE-122, affecting Internet Explorer. Published on 2025-10-14T17:16:12.850, 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), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact.

An unauthorized attacker can exploit this vulnerability over a network with low complexity and no required privileges, though it necessitates user interaction. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level.

The Microsoft Security Response Center provides guidance on this vulnerability, including patches and mitigation details, at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-59295.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Heap-based buffer overflow in Internet Explorer allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
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.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-58725Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2024-49138Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-49732Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21240Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21223Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21286Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21371Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-21305Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2024-43627Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2025-33064Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.21161 · ≤ 10.0.10240.21161
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.8519 · ≤ 10.0.14393.8519
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.7919 · ≤ 10.0.17763.7919
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.6456
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.6456
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22621.6060
microsoft
windows 11 23h2
≤ 10.0.22631.6060
microsoft
windows 11 24h2
≤ 10.0.26100.6899
microsoft
windows 11 25h2
≤ 10.0.26200.6899
microsoft
windows server 2008
all versions, r2
+6 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and memory-error detectors) can discover heap overflows after they have been coded.

Input validation enforces bounds checking on data written to heap buffers, directly stopping the overflow condition from being introduced.

Security engineering principles require use of memory-safe constructs and bounds-checked allocation routines that avoid introducing heap overflows.

Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability of a heap overflow to execute attacker-controlled code or corrupt adjacent structures.

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 full match
prevents

Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.

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.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe techniques (safe functions, bounds checks) that prevent heap-based buffer overflows.

none

Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.

References