Overview
This blog post seeks to provide a detailed analysis of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entry, CVE-2025-29975. This vulnerability affects the Microsoft PC Manager software and exposes systems to risks of unauthorized privilege escalation by an attacker. The impact of this vulnerability is crucial as it could lead to system compromise or data leakage, thereby endangering the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the systems.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-29975
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Unauthorised Privilege Escalation leading to potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Microsoft PC Manager | All versions before the vendor patch
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a flaw in the Microsoft PC Manager’s file access operation, specifically, the improper resolution of links before file access, also known as ‘link following. This flaw allows an attacker, who already has low-level privileges, to manipulate the link resolution process to access files or execute commands. This could result in an elevation of the attacker’s privileges, giving them unauthorized access to system resources or data.
Conceptual Example Code
To demonstrate how this vulnerability might be exploited, let us consider a hypothetical scenario where an attacker has gained low-level access to a system. They could use the following shell command to manipulate the link following process:
# Attacker creates a symbolic link to a sensitive file
ln -s /etc/sensitive_file /tmp/vulnerable_link
# Attacker manipulates Microsoft PC Manager's link resolution process to access the sensitive file
./MicrosoftPCManager --access-file=/tmp/vulnerable_linkIn this example, the attacker creates a symbolic link pointing to a sensitive file. The attacker then manipulates the Microsoft PC Manager’s link resolution process to follow this symbolic link and access the content of the sensitive file.
The vulnerability can be mitigated by applying the vendor-provided patch. In the absence of a patch, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation by identifying and blocking malicious activities. However, these are not long-term solutions and systems should be patched as soon as possible to ensure security.