{"id":75959,"date":"2025-09-17T21:45:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:45:34","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-29T02:51:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T08:51:00","slug":"cve-2025-54918-improper-authentication-elevates-privileges-in-windows-ntlm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-54918-improper-authentication-elevates-privileges-in-windows-ntlm\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2025-54918: Improper Authentication Elevates Privileges in Windows NTLM<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities emerge that pose significant threats to information systems worldwide. One such vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2025-54918, affects the Windows NTLM, a popular security protocol used by Microsoft. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-9791-critical-vulnerability-in-tenda-ac20-16-03-08-05-leading-to-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85034\">vulnerability is particularly concerning due to its potential<\/a> to allow an authorized attacker to escalate privileges over a network. As a result, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-22404-potential-system-compromise-due-to-use-after-free-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85669\">systems could be compromised<\/a>, and sensitive data may be leaked, affecting businesses and individual users alike.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2025-54918<br \/>\nSeverity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Network<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: Low<br \/>\nUser Interaction: None<br \/>\nImpact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-8067-udisks-daemon-vulnerability-leading-to-potential-system-compromise-or-data-leakage\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85765\">System Compromise<\/a>, Potential Data Leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-902072429\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p>Windows | NTLM<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-55454-authenticated-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-dootask-v1-0-51\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84467\">vulnerability hinges on an improper authentication<\/a> mechanism within the Windows NTLM. This allows an attacker who is already authenticated on the network to exploit this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-20704-remote-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-modem\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84793\">vulnerability to elevate their privileges<\/a>. The attacker can then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-57771-arbitrary-command-execution-vulnerability-in-roo-code-ai\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84864\">execute commands<\/a> with higher-level permissions, effectively granting them control over the compromised system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-3325842812\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited:<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\"># Attacker is already authenticated on the network\n# Exploit the vulnerability to elevate privileges\n$ ntlm_elevate_privileges\n# Execute commands with higher-level permissions\n$ run_as_admin &#039;rm -rf \/&#039;<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>This example illustrates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-0610-csrf-vulnerability-in-akinsoft-qr-menu-leading-to-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85203\">potential danger of this vulnerability<\/a>. Once the attacker has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-27216-privilege-escalation-in-uisp-application-due-to-incorrect-permission-assignment\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84379\">escalated their privileges<\/a>, they have the power to perform any action on the compromised system, such as deleting all files, as shown in the example.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Potential Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Addressing CVE-2025-54918 necessitates applying the appropriate vendor patch as soon as it is available. This patch will correct the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-2413-bypassing-authentication-in-akinsoft-prokuafor-due-to-improper-restriction-of-excessive-authentication-attempts\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"85781\">improper authentication<\/a> mechanism, thus eliminating the vulnerability. However, until the patch can be applied, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. These systems can detect and block suspicious activities, thereby providing a layer of protection against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-26210-deepseek-xss-vulnerability-allows-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"86701\">potential exploits associated with this vulnerability<\/a>.<br \/>\nIn conclusion, CVE-2025-54918 is a significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-27215-unauthorized-system-modification-vulnerability-in-unifi-display-cast-devices\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"84921\">vulnerability that requires immediate attention from system<\/a> administrators and users alike. By understanding the threat it poses and implementing the proper mitigation strategies, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-54742-data-deserialization-vulnerability-in-wpevently-leading-to-possible-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"86536\">possible to safeguard valuable data and maintain system<\/a> integrity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview In the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities emerge that pose significant threats to information systems worldwide. One such vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2025-54918, affects the Windows NTLM, a popular security protocol used by Microsoft. This vulnerability is particularly concerning due to its potential to allow an authorized attacker to escalate privileges over a network. As a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[82],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-75959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-microsoft"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75959"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79541,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75959\/revisions\/79541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=75959"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=75959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}