CVE-2025-26633: Microsoft Management Console Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Overview

Severity: High (CVSS 7)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
Category: Security Feature Bypass
Exploit Status: Actively Exploited
Exploitation Likelihood: Detected
Patch Tuesday: 2025-Mar
Released: 2025-03-11
EPSS Score: 19.60% (percentile: 95.4%)
CISA KEV: Listed — due 2025-04-01

Description

Improper neutralization in Microsoft Management Console allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.

FAQ

According to the CVSS metric, the attack complexity is high (AC:H). What does that mean for this vulnerability? Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to take additional actions prior to exploitation to prepare the target environment. How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability? In an email or instant message attack scenario, the attacker could send the targeted user a specially crafted file that is designed to exploit the vulnerability. In any case an attacker would have no way to force a user to view attacker-controlled content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince a user to take action. For example, an attacker could entice a user to either click a link that directs the user to the attacker's site or send a malicious attachment. According to the CVSS metric, user interaction is required (UI:R). What interaction would the user have to do? Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file. In an email attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted file to the user and convincing the user to open the file. In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website (or leverage a compromised website that accepts or hosts user-provided content) containing a specially crafted file designed to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit the website. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to click a link, typically by way of an enticement in an email or instant message, and then convince them to open the specially crafted file.

Known Exploits (1)

Microsoft Windows Management Console (MMC) Improper Neutralization Vulnerability — added 2025-04-08T19:29:28Z

Detection & Weaponization (1 sources)

Maturity: Exploit

GitHub PoC: 2 repositories

Affected Products (37)

Windows

Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
Windows Server 2022
Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation)
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation)
Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2025
Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 10 for x64-based Systems
Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)

ESU

Windows 11 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)