CVE-2025-55236
📋 TL;DR
A time-of-check time-of-use race condition vulnerability in the Graphics Kernel allows authenticated local attackers to execute arbitrary code. This affects systems running vulnerable versions of Microsoft Windows with graphics components enabled. Attackers must already have local access to exploit this vulnerability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Windows
📦 What is this software?
Windows 10 1809 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1809 by Microsoft
Windows 10 21h2 by Microsoft
Windows 10 22h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 22h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 23h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 24h2 by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining SYSTEM privileges and persistent access to the machine
Likely Case
Privilege escalation from standard user to administrator/system level access
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to proper access controls and monitoring preventing successful exploitation
🎯 Exploit Status
TOCTOU race conditions require precise timing and local access, making exploitation non-trivial but feasible for skilled attackers
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Microsoft Security Update Guide for specific KB numbers
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-55236
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Windows Update Settings
2. Check for updates
3. Install all available security updates
4. Restart system when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Access
windowsLimit local login capabilities to trusted users only
Disable Unnecessary Graphics Features
windowsTurn off graphics acceleration and unnecessary display features where possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege access controls to limit local user capabilities
- Enable enhanced monitoring for privilege escalation attempts and unusual process behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Windows Update history for missing security patches related to CVE-2025-55236Check Version:
wmic os get caption,version,buildnumberVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the latest Windows security updates are installed via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple rapid file/registry access attempts by same process
- Unexpected privilege escalation events in Security logs
- Graphics driver loading anomalies
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND NewProcessName CONTAINS 'graphics' OR ProcessName CONTAINS 'gdi'