CVE-2025-49728
📋 TL;DR
Microsoft PC Manager stores sensitive information in cleartext, allowing local attackers to bypass security features. This affects users running vulnerable versions of Microsoft PC Manager on Windows systems. The vulnerability requires local access to the system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft PC Manager
📦 What is this software?
Pc Manager by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains unauthorized access to sensitive system information or bypasses security controls, potentially leading to privilege escalation or data exposure.
Likely Case
Local user with basic access can read sensitive configuration data stored in cleartext, compromising security feature integrity.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to authorized users who already have local system access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to the system and knowledge of where sensitive data is stored.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Latest version from Microsoft Store/Update
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-49728
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open Microsoft Store 2. Search for 'Microsoft PC Manager' 3. Click Update if available 4. Alternatively, download latest version from official Microsoft website
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local file access
WindowsImplement strict file permissions to limit access to Microsoft PC Manager configuration files
icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft\PC Manager\*" /deny Users:(R)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Uninstall Microsoft PC Manager if not required
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized access to PC Manager files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Microsoft PC Manager version in Settings > Apps > Microsoft PC ManagerCheck Version:
Get-AppxPackage -Name *Microsoft.PCManager* | Select VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is updated to latest release and check for cleartext sensitive files in PC Manager directories📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns to PC Manager configuration directories
- Multiple failed attempts to access protected system files
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
EventID=4663 AND ObjectName LIKE '%PC Manager%' AND AccessesMask CONTAINS 'ReadData'