Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows
CVE-2025-9491
Microsoft Windows LNK File UI Misrepresentation Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Microsoft Windows. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of .LNK files. Crafted data in an .LNK file can cause hazardous content in the file to be invisible to a user who inspects the file via the Windows-provided user interface. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. Was ZDI-CAN-25373.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.760 (99.5th percentile), scored .
High probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — patch promptly. 100th percentile — 99.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.689 · newest: 0.760 · change: +0.071
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows — versions 11 Enterprise 23H2 22631.4169 x64
- Microsoft Windows 11 23h2 — versions 10.0.22631.4169
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-148/ (x_research-advisory, Third Party Advisory)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-9491?
- CVE-2025-9491 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, classified under User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation of Critical Information. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2025-08-26.
- How severe is CVE-2025-9491?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2025-9491 known to be exploited?
- 5 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.