CVE-2025-24048 Overview
CVE-2025-24048 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Windows Hyper-V role. An authorized local attacker can exploit the flaw to elevate privileges on the affected host. The issue is tracked under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and affects supported versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server, including Server 2016 through Server 2025.
Microsoft addressed the vulnerability in its March 2025 security update. See the Microsoft Security Update CVE-2025-24048 advisory for patch details.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants elevated privileges on the Hyper-V host, undermining virtualization isolation and enabling attackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of virtualized workloads.
Affected Products
- Microsoft Windows 10 (1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2)
- Microsoft Windows 11 (22H2, 24H2)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, 2022 23H2, and 2025
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-11 - CVE-2025-24048 published to NVD
- 2025-03-11 - Microsoft released a security update addressing the vulnerability
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24048
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the Windows Hyper-V role, which provides hardware virtualization for guest virtual machines. A heap-based buffer overflow condition allows a locally authenticated attacker to corrupt memory within a privileged Hyper-V component. By carefully controlling the overflowing data, the attacker can influence adjacent heap structures and hijack control flow.
Successful exploitation elevates the attacker's privileges on the affected host. Because Hyper-V executes at the hypervisor and root partition layer, privilege escalation here can break the isolation boundary between guest workloads and the host operating system.
Root Cause
The flaw is classified as CWE-122, a heap-based buffer overflow. Microsoft has not published low-level implementation details. The root cause is improper validation of the size of attacker-influenced input before it is copied into a heap-allocated buffer within a Hyper-V component, allowing adjacent heap memory to be overwritten.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local. The attacker must already have valid low-privileged credentials on the target system and the ability to interact with the Hyper-V role. No user interaction is required. Refer to the Microsoft advisory for authoritative technical details.
No public proof-of-concept exploit or exploitation-in-the-wild activity is currently associated with this CVE.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24048
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes, bug checks, or restarts of the vmcompute.exe, vmwp.exe, or related Hyper-V worker processes on hosts running the Hyper-V role.
- Creation of new local administrator or Hyper-V Administrators group members shortly after suspicious activity from a low-privileged account.
- Loading of unsigned or unusual modules into Hyper-V host processes.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor Windows Event Logs, specifically the Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-* channels, for abnormal errors, worker process failures, and integrity check violations.
- Correlate low-privileged user sessions with subsequent privileged process creation events (Event ID 4688) referencing Hyper-V binaries.
- Alert on anomalous access patterns to Hyper-V IOCTL interfaces and named pipes from non-administrative accounts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Maintain a current patch-state inventory of all Hyper-V hosts and flag systems missing the March 2025 cumulative update.
- Track child process trees originating from Hyper-V host processes for signs of privilege escalation or lateral movement.
- Baseline expected virtualization telemetry and alert on deviations, particularly on Server 2016 through Server 2025 hosts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24048
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the March 2025 Microsoft security update to all affected Windows client and Windows Server systems running the Hyper-V role.
- Prioritize patching on Hyper-V hosts that run multi-tenant or high-value workloads where privilege escalation would breach isolation.
- Restrict interactive and remote logon rights on Hyper-V hosts to a minimal set of trusted administrators.
Patch Information
Microsoft has released fixes for all affected editions through the standard Windows Update and Microsoft Update channels. Consult the Microsoft Security Update CVE-2025-24048 advisory to identify the correct KB article for each Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server version in your environment.
Workarounds
- If the Hyper-V role is not required on a given host, disable or uninstall it to remove the attack surface entirely.
- Enforce least privilege on the Hyper-V host by removing standard users from local logon rights and the Hyper-V Administrators group.
- Segment Hyper-V management networks and require jump hosts with multi-factor authentication for administrative access until patching is complete.
# Verify the Hyper-V role status and disable it on hosts that do not require virtualization
# Run in an elevated PowerShell session
Get-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V
# To remove the Hyper-V role on Windows Server (reboot required)
Uninstall-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart
# To disable Hyper-V on Windows 10/11 clients (reboot required)
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
