CVE-2025-54913: Windows 10 1507 Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-54913 Overview

CVE-2025-54913 is a race condition vulnerability in the Windows UI XAML Maps MapControlSettings component. The flaw stems from concurrent execution using a shared resource without proper synchronization [CWE-362]. An authorized local attacker can exploit the timing window to elevate privileges on affected Windows systems.

Microsoft published the advisory on September 9, 2025. The vulnerability affects a wide range of supported Windows client and server editions, from Windows 10 1507 through Windows 11 24H2, and Windows Server 2016 through Windows Server 2025.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants attackers elevated privileges with a scope change, allowing impact on components beyond the initially vulnerable process and threatening confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

Microsoft Windows 10 (1507, 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2)
Microsoft Windows 11 (22H2, 23H2, 24H2)
Microsoft Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, 2022 23H2, and 2025

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-09 - CVE-2025-54913 published to NVD
2025-09-09 - Microsoft releases security update for CVE-2025-54913
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54913

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the MapControlSettings class within the Windows UI XAML Maps component. This component provides mapping functionality to Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications and system services that render map controls. The flaw is classified under CWE-362 as a concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization.

An attacker who already possesses low-privileged local access can trigger operations that race against a privileged process modifying the same shared state. Successful timing manipulation allows the attacker to influence resource handling in a way that yields SYSTEM-level privileges. The EPSS score is 0.292% with a percentile of 21.66, reflecting a relatively low predicted exploitation probability in the near term.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or inadequate synchronization primitives around shared state accessed by MapControlSettings. Two or more threads can read and write the same object concurrently, producing a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) window. Within that window, an attacker can substitute or modify data that the privileged code path subsequently trusts, breaking the security boundary between the local user and the operating system.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access and low privileges. No user interaction is required. The attack complexity is high because the attacker must win a narrow timing race to influence the shared resource. Once successful, the scope changes and the attacker gains SYSTEM privileges, enabling full compromise of the host.

Microsoft has not published proof-of-concept code, and no public exploit is currently available. Technical details are documented in the Microsoft Security Update Guide for CVE-2025-54913.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54913

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by MapsBroker, RuntimeBroker.exe, or other UWP host processes running with elevated tokens.
Anomalous token manipulation events (Event ID 4703) tied to low-privileged user sessions.
Repeated crashes or exceptions in processes that load Windows.UI.Xaml.Maps modules, indicating race condition probing.

Detection Strategies

Monitor for local privilege escalation patterns where a standard user account performs actions requiring SYSTEM context.
Alert on unusual thread-creation bursts targeting processes hosting XAML Maps functionality, a common signal of race-condition brute forcing.
Correlate process integrity level changes with the parent process lineage to identify unauthorized elevation.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable and forward Windows Security, Sysmon (Event IDs 1, 8, 10), and PowerShell logs to a centralized analytics platform.
Track patch compliance across all Windows client and server assets against the September 2025 Microsoft update baseline.
Baseline normal use of Windows.UI.Xaml.Maps and alert on deviations, especially in server environments where map controls are rarely invoked.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54913

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the September 2025 Microsoft security update that addresses CVE-2025-54913 across all affected Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server editions.
Prioritize patching multi-user systems, terminal servers, and jump hosts where local users could stage the race condition.
Audit local user accounts and remove unnecessary interactive logon rights to reduce the pool of potential attackers.

Patch Information

Microsoft released fixes as part of its September 2025 Patch Tuesday cycle. Refer to the Microsoft Security Update Guide for CVE-2025-54913 for the specific KB articles corresponding to each affected Windows version. Deploy through Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager.

Workarounds

No official workaround has been published by Microsoft; patching is the only supported remediation.
Enforce the principle of least privilege by restricting local logon rights on high-value systems until patches are deployed.
Apply application control policies (Windows Defender Application Control, AppLocker) to limit which binaries unprivileged users can execute locally.

bash

# Verify installed KB updates against the September 2025 baseline
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object -Property InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 20

# Confirm patch status for a specific machine via PowerShell
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_QuickFixEngineering | Where-Object { $_.InstalledOn -ge '2025-09-09' }