CVE-2025-54916: Windows 10 1507 Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-54916 Overview

CVE-2025-54916 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Windows New Technology File System (NTFS) driver. An authorized local attacker can trigger the flaw to execute arbitrary code in the context of the vulnerable process. Microsoft assigned this issue a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 and classified it under CWE-121: Stack-based Buffer Overflow.

The vulnerability affects nearly every supported Windows client and server release, from Windows 10 1507 through Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2008 through Windows Server 2025. Microsoft published a security update through the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) advisory portal.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants attackers code execution with the privileges of the NTFS handler, which can be leveraged for local privilege escalation across the entire supported Windows fleet.

Affected Products

Microsoft Windows 10 (1507, 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2) and Windows 11 (22H2, 23H2, 24H2)
Microsoft Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2022 23H2, and 2025
All x86 and x64 architectures running the affected NTFS driver

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-09 - CVE-2025-54916 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54916

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the NTFS driver, which parses on-disk file system structures and processes user-supplied inputs through file system APIs. A stack-based buffer overflow occurs when the driver copies attacker-controlled data into a fixed-size stack buffer without adequate bounds validation. Overflowing the buffer overwrites adjacent stack memory, including saved return addresses and structured exception handlers.

An authorized local attacker can craft malformed NTFS metadata or invoke a vulnerable code path with oversized input. The overflow leads to arbitrary code execution in the vulnerable context. Because the flaw is triggered locally with low privileges and no user interaction, it is well suited as a second-stage payload following initial access.

The [CWE-121] classification confirms the stack corruption primitive. Microsoft has not released technical exploitation details, and no public proof-of-concept is currently available.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds checking on a length or offset field consumed by the NTFS driver. When the driver processes the untrusted value, it writes past the end of a stack-allocated buffer. This overwrites adjacent control data, giving the attacker influence over the instruction pointer.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access and a valid user account on the target system. An attacker must interact with an NTFS volume or invoke file system APIs that reach the vulnerable code path. Delivery paths include crafted NTFS virtual hard disks (VHD/VHDX), removable media, or specially formed file operations against a mounted volume.

The attack complexity is low and does not require user interaction from another party. The EPSS score is 2.138% at the 79.8th percentile, reflecting elevated exploitation likelihood relative to the broader CVE population.

No verified public exploit or proof-of-concept code is available for CVE-2025-54916.
Refer to the Microsoft MSRC advisory for authoritative technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54916

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected mounting of VHD, VHDX, or ISO images from user-writable directories such as %TEMP% or %APPDATA%
Kernel-mode crashes referencing ntfs.sys in Windows Error Reporting (WER) or minidumps
Processes with low-privilege parents spawning SYSTEM-level child processes shortly after file system operations
Unusual NtFsControlFile or FSCTL_* calls originating from non-administrative user sessions

Detection Strategies

Enable kernel-mode dump collection and monitor for repeated bugchecks pointing to ntfs.sys
Alert on non-administrative users mounting virtual disk images using PowerShell Mount-DiskImage or diskpart
Correlate local logon events with subsequent privilege escalation indicators using Sysmon Event IDs 1, 10, and 11
Baseline file system driver behavior and flag anomalous stack traces returned by kernel telemetry providers

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest Windows Security, System, and Sysmon logs into a centralized SIEM for correlation across endpoints
Track patch compliance for the September 2025 Microsoft security update across every affected Windows build
Monitor endpoint detection and response (EDR) telemetry for kernel exploitation primitives such as token swap or EPROCESS manipulation

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54916

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the Microsoft security update referenced in the MSRC advisory for CVE-2025-54916 to every affected Windows client and server
Prioritize patching of multi-user systems, terminal servers, and jump hosts where multiple authenticated users have local access
Audit local user and service accounts and remove unnecessary interactive logon rights
Restrict the ability of standard users to mount arbitrary disk images through Group Policy or AppLocker

Patch Information

Microsoft has released cumulative security updates addressing CVE-2025-54916 for all supported versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server. Refer to the Microsoft CVE-2025-54916 Advisory for KB numbers and package details specific to each affected build. Systems running end-of-life releases such as Windows Server 2008 require Extended Security Updates (ESU) to receive the fix.

Workarounds

No official workaround replaces the security update; deploy the Microsoft patch as the primary remediation
Enforce least privilege by removing local administrator rights from standard users to reduce post-exploitation impact
Disable auto-mount of removable media and block Mount-DiskImage execution for non-administrative users via Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies
Segment high-value hosts to limit local access opportunities for adversaries who have already established a foothold

bash

# Query installed updates to confirm the September 2025 cumulative patch is present
wmic qfe list brief /format:table

# PowerShell equivalent with filtering by installation date
Get-HotFix | Where-Object { $_.InstalledOn -ge (Get-Date '2025-09-01') } | \
    Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending