Privilege Escalation
The latest Privilege Escalation coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Urgent Patch for CVE-2025-50161: Win32K GRFX Heap Overflow Enables SYSTEM Escalation
Microsoft's latest security advisory warns of a heap-based buffer overflow in the Win32K GRFX subsystem that could allow an authenticated local attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM. Identified...
Microsoft Patches Critical Use-After-Free in Windows PPP EAP‑TLS, Enabling Local Privilege Escalation
Microsoft has issued a security advisory for CVE‑2025‑50159, a use‑after‑free vulnerability in the Remote Access Point‑to‑Point Protocol (PPP) EAP‑TLS implementation that can allow an...
The CVE That Wasn't: Unpacking NTFS TOCTOU Risks and Microsoft’s 2025 Patch Reality
A flurry of confusion swept across sysadmin channels this week after an advisory citing “CVE-2025-50158 — Windows NTFS Information Disclosure (TOCTOU)” began circulating, only for anyone...
Windows AFD.sys Hit Again: Race Condition CVE-2025-49762 Opens Door to SYSTEM Access
Microsoft has disclosed yet another high-severity vulnerability in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (AFD.sys), this time a race condition tracked as CVE-2025-49762 that allows a...
Microsoft Patches Actively Exploited Windows DWM Use-After-Free Vulnerability CVE-2025-30400
A critical vulnerability in Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) gave attackers a direct path to SYSTEM privileges, and Microsoft confirmed it was being exploited in real-world attacks before May...
Critical SQL Server Patches Land, but CVE Confusion Causes Headaches for Admins
Microsoft’s July 2025 Patch Tuesday brought a cluster of security updates for SQL Server that fix critical vulnerabilities, including a heap-based buffer overflow leading to remote code execution,...
Patch Now: CVE-2025-49761 Windows Kernel UAF Flaw Enables SYSTEM Takeover
A newly disclosed use-after-free vulnerability in the Windows kernel, tracked as CVE-2025-49761, hands a reliable privilege escalation path to any attacker who already has a toehold on a target...
Critical Race Condition in Windows Graphics Lets Attackers Escalate to SYSTEM – What to Do
Microsoft has disclosed a critical elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows Graphics Component, tracked as CVE-2025-49743, that could allow attackers to gain SYSTEM-level access on a...
Critical SQL Server Vulnerability Enables Admin Escalation Over the Network
Microsoft has released a security advisory for CVE-2025-24999, a network-exploitable elevation-of-privilege flaw in Microsoft SQL Server that could allow an attacker with limited database access to...
Microsoft Fixes SQL Server Flaw That Allows Privilege Escalation via SQL Injection
Microsoft’s July 2025 Patch Tuesday release includes a fix for a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in SQL Server that enables authenticated attackers to escalate privileges and seize...
Microsoft Patches Azure File Sync EoP Vulnerability CVE-2025-29973—What IT Admins Must Do Now
Microsoft has confirmed an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in its Azure File Sync service that could allow an authenticated local attacker to gain full control of affected Windows servers....
CISA Mandates Immediate Disconnect of EOL Exchange Servers After Black Hat Exploit Demo for CVE-2025-53786
A critical Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability now carries a binding directive from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, following a live demonstration of the exploit at the...