Windows Storage VSP Driver Flaw (CVE-2025-47982): Local Privilege Escalation Unveiled

Introduction

The July 2025 Patch Tuesday from Microsoft included a critical update addressing CVE-2025-47982, a vulnerability in the Windows Storage VSP Driver. This flaw, rooted in improper input validation, poses a significant risk by allowing local attackers to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level, potentially leading to severe system compromise.

Technical Information

Vulnerability Mechanism

CVE-2025-47982 results from improper input validation (CWE-20) within the Windows Storage VSP Driver (vsdriver.sys). The driver inadequately validates inputs from user-mode applications, leading to untrusted pointer dereferencing (CWE-822). Attackers exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious I/O control codes (IOCTLs), which manipulate driver memory buffers and facilitate arbitrary code execution at kernel-level privileges.

Root Cause

The vulnerability specifically involves the driver's failure to validate user-supplied pointers before dereferencing them, allowing attackers to overwrite kernel memory structures. This oversight enables attackers to escalate privileges from a local authenticated user to SYSTEM.

Attack Vectors and Exploitation Methods

Attackers require initial authenticated local access to exploit this vulnerability. Once access is obtained, attackers can execute specially crafted binaries or scripts that send malicious IOCTL requests to the vulnerable driver, triggering the flaw and escalating privileges.

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 comprehensive patch that modifies the way SQL Server processes specific inputs, ensuring that malicious payloads cannot be executed. The update includes the following key changes:

Input Validation Enhancements: Strengthened validation mechanisms to prevent the execution of unauthorized code.
Memory Management Improvements: Adjusted memory handling routines to eliminate potential buffer overflow scenarios.
Access Control Reinforcements: Implemented stricter access controls to limit the privileges of processes interacting with the SQL Server.

Administrators are strongly advised to apply this update promptly to protect their systems from potential exploitation. The patch is available through the Microsoft Update Catalog and can be deployed via Windows Update or manual installation.

For detailed instructions on applying the update and verifying its successful installation, please refer to Microsoft's official documentation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Windows Server versions: 2016 through 2025
Windows 10 and Windows 11
Component: Windows Storage VSP Driver (vsdriver.sys)

Vendor Security History

Microsoft has historically demonstrated a strong security posture, regularly releasing timely patches and updates. The company maintains transparency in vulnerability disclosures and has a robust vulnerability management lifecycle. However, recurring input-validation flaws indicate ongoing challenges in secure coding practices within driver development.

References

Source: This report was created using AI

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