Windows Event Tracing CVE-2025-47985: Untrusted Pointer Dereference Enables Privilege Escalation

Introduction

Windows Event Tracing, a critical diagnostic and performance monitoring component in Microsoft Windows, has once again become the focal point of security concerns. CVE-2025-47985, a newly disclosed vulnerability, allows attackers with local access to escalate privileges to SYSTEM-level authority, significantly compromising affected systems.

Technical Information

CVE-2025-47985 is rooted in an untrusted pointer dereference (CWE-822) vulnerability within Windows Event Tracing. Attackers exploit this flaw by crafting malicious local procedure call (LPC) messages containing unvalidated pointers. When processed by the subsystem, these pointers enable arbitrary read/write operations in kernel memory space, facilitating privilege escalation from a standard user context to SYSTEM-level authority.

This vulnerability closely resembles previously documented flaws such as CVE-2021-34486 and CVE-2022-21872, suggesting persistent systemic validation weaknesses in legacy Windows components. Exploitation typically involves token-swapping attacks, allowing attackers to impersonate SYSTEM-level processes, manipulate kernel memory, and execute unauthorized code.

Attack Vectors

Local Exploitation: Attackers require initial low-privilege access to the system, typically achieved through phishing or malware.
Exploit Chain Integration: Potential to combine with remote code execution exploits, significantly increasing the risk profile.

Patch Information

In the July 2025 Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft addressed a publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-XXXX, allowed attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems by exploiting a flaw in the SQL Server's handling of certain queries.

To mitigate this issue, Microsoft released a security update that modifies how SQL Server processes specific inputs, ensuring that the vulnerability cannot be exploited. Administrators are strongly advised to apply this update promptly to protect their systems from potential attacks.

Additionally, the July 2025 update addressed 137 other vulnerabilities across various Microsoft products, including 14 classified as "Critical." These critical vulnerabilities encompass remote code execution flaws, information disclosure issues, and side-channel attack vulnerabilities affecting AMD processors. Applying the cumulative updates provided in this release is essential to maintain the security and integrity of your systems.

Affected Systems and Versions

Windows 10 (Versions 1809, 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, 2004, 1909)
Windows 11
Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022

Vendor Security History

Microsoft has historically addressed similar vulnerabilities in Windows Event Tracing, including CVE-2021-34486 and CVE-2022-21872. These vulnerabilities were promptly patched, reflecting Microsoft's proactive security response. However, the recurrence of pointer dereference vulnerabilities indicates ongoing challenges in legacy subsystem security.

References

Source: This report was created using AI

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