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May 2025 Patch Tuesday Security Update: A Look into the Recently Fixed Vulnerabilities

The May 2025 Patch Tuesday update addresses 72 vulnerabilities, including five actively exploited and two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities. This update aims to improve the overall security posture of Windows devices by addressing critical elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, remote code execution vulnerabilities, and information disclosure vulnerabilities.

May 2025 Patch Tuesday security update addresses 72 vulnerabilities in Windows.

Five actively exploited and two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities were fixed.

CVE-2025-30400 allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges locally through a "use after free" vulnerability.

CVE-2025-26685 allows an unauthenticated attacker to spoof another account through Microsoft Defender for Identity.

Multiple elevation of privilege vulnerabilities were fixed, including CVE-2025-30401 and CVE-2025-32706.

A remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2025-30397) can be exploited through Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

In a recent announcement, Microsoft revealed its May 2025 Patch Tuesday security update, which addressed an impressive 72 vulnerabilities, including five actively exploited and two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities. This update aims to improve the overall security posture of Windows devices and prevent potential threats from exploiting newly discovered weaknesses.

Among the fixed vulnerabilities was CVE-2025-30400, a Microsoft DWM Core Library Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability that allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges locally. According to Microsoft's advisory, "use after free in Windows DWM allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally." This vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker with LAN access.

Additionally, CVE-2025-30401 and CVE-2025-30402 were fixed, which are also elevation of privilege vulnerabilities that give attackers SYSTEM privileges. However, the specific details of these vulnerabilities remain unchanged from previous versions of Windows. Microsoft attributes the discovery of this flaw to the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center.

Another significant vulnerability addressed in the May 2025 Patch Tuesday update is CVE-2025-26685, a Microsoft Defender for Identity Spoofing Vulnerability that allows an unauthenticated attack to spoof another account. This vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker with LAN access, according to Microsoft.

Furthermore, CVE-2025-32701 and CVE-2025-32706 were fixed, which are elevation of privilege vulnerabilities that give attackers SYSTEM privileges. The details of these vulnerabilities remain unchanged from previous versions of Windows. Microsoft attributes the discovery of this flaw to the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center and Benoit Sevens of Google Threat Intelligence Group and the CrowdStrike Advanced Research Team.

Additionally, CVE-2025-30397 was fixed, which is a remote code execution vulnerability that can be exploited through Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer. According to Microsoft, "access of resource using incompatible type ('type confusion') in Microsoft Scripting Engine allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network." This vulnerability requires tricking an authenticated user into clicking on a specially crafted link in Edge or Internet Explorer, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to gain remote code execution.

The May 2025 Patch Tuesday update includes fixes for various other vulnerabilities, including elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, security feature bypass vulnerabilities, remote code execution vulnerabilities, information disclosure vulnerabilities, denial-of-service vulnerabilities, and spoofing vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers with varying levels of privileges and access to the affected systems.

It is essential for system administrators and users to ensure that their devices receive the latest security updates as soon as possible to minimize the risk of exploitation. Microsoft recommends regularly checking the Windows Update page for available patches and installing them promptly.

In conclusion, the May 2025 Patch Tuesday update addresses a range of critical vulnerabilities in Windows, including elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, remote code execution vulnerabilities, and information disclosure vulnerabilities. By applying these updates, system administrators and users can significantly improve the overall security posture of their devices and prevent potential threats from exploiting newly discovered weaknesses.

Related Information:

https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/May-2025-Patch-Tuesday-Security-Update-A-Look-into-the-Recently-Fixed-Vulnerabilities-ehn.shtml

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-may-2025-patch-tuesday-fixes-5-exploited-zero-days-72-flaws/

https://cybersecuritynews.com/microsoft-patch-tuesday-may-2025/

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-30400

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-30400/

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-30401

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-30401/

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-30402

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-30402/

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-26685

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-26685/

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-32701