Microsoft as we speak issued safety updates to repair not less than 56 vulnerabilities in its Home windows working methods and supported software program, together with two zero-day flaws which are being actively exploited.
All supported Home windows working methods will obtain an replace this month for a buffer overflow vulnerability that carries the catchy title CVE-2025-21418. This patch needs to be a precedence for enterprises, as Microsoft says it’s being exploited, has low assault complexity, and no necessities for person interplay.
Tenable senior employees analysis engineer Satnam Narang famous that since 2022, there have been 9 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities on this similar Home windows element — three annually — together with one in 2024 that was exploited within the wild as a zero day (CVE-2024-38193).
“CVE-2024-38193 was exploited by the North Korean APT group referred to as Lazarus Group to implant a brand new model of the FudModule rootkit as a way to keep persistence and stealth on compromised methods,” Narang mentioned. “Right now, it’s unclear if CVE-2025-21418 was additionally exploited by Lazarus Group.”
The opposite zero-day, CVE-2025-21391, is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Home windows Storage that may very well be used to delete information on a focused system. Microsoft’s advisory on this bug references one thing referred to as “CWE-59: Improper Hyperlink Decision Earlier than File Entry,” says no person interplay is required, and that the assault complexity is low.
Adam Barnett, lead software program engineer at Rapid7, mentioned though the advisory supplies scant element, and even provides some imprecise reassurance that ‘an attacker would solely be capable of delete focused information on a system,’ it could be a mistake to imagine that the affect of deleting arbitrary information can be restricted to knowledge loss or denial of service.
“As way back as 2022, ZDI researchers set out how a motivated attacker might parlay arbitrary file deletion into full SYSTEM entry utilizing strategies which additionally contain artistic misuse of symbolic hyperlinks,”Barnett wrote.
One vulnerability patched as we speak that was publicly disclosed earlier is CVE-2025-21377, one other weak spot that might enable an attacker to raise their privileges on a susceptible Home windows system. Particularly, that is yet one more Home windows flaw that can be utilized to steal NTLMv2 hashes — basically permitting an attacker to authenticate because the focused person with out having to log in.
In keeping with Microsoft, minimal person interplay with a malicious file is required to use CVE-2025-21377, together with deciding on, inspecting or “performing an motion aside from opening or executing the file.”
“This trademark linguistic ducking and weaving could also be Microsoft’s manner of claiming ‘if we informed you any extra, we’d give the sport away,’” Barnett mentioned. “Accordingly, Microsoft assesses exploitation as extra doubtless.”
The SANS Web Storm Middle has a useful checklist of all of the Microsoft patches launched as we speak, listed by severity. Home windows enterprise directors would do nicely to control askwoody.com, which frequently has the inside track on any patches inflicting issues.
It’s getting tougher to purchase Home windows software program that isn’t additionally bundled with Microsoft’s flagship Copilot synthetic intelligence (AI) function. Final month Microsoft began bundling Copilot with Microsoft Workplace 365, which Redmond has since rebranded as “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” Ostensibly to offset the prices of its substantial AI investments, Microsoft additionally jacked up costs from 22 % to 30 % for upcoming license renewals and new subscribers.
Workplace-watch.com writes that current Workplace 365 customers who’re paying an annual cloud license do have the choice of “Microsoft 365 Basic,” an AI-free subscription at a lower cost, however that many shoppers aren’t provided the choice till they try and cancel their current Workplace subscription.
In different safety patch information, Apple has shipped iOS 18.3.1, which fixes a zero day vulnerability (CVE-2025-24200) that’s exhibiting up in assaults.
Adobe has issued safety updates that repair a complete of 45 vulnerabilities throughout InDesign, Commerce, Substance 3D Stager, InCopy, Illustrator, Substance 3D Designer and Photoshop Parts.
Chris Goettl at Ivanti notes that Google Chrome is delivery an replace as we speak which is able to set off updates for Chromium based mostly browsers together with Microsoft Edge, so be looking out for Chrome and Edge updates as we proceed by means of the week.