Microsoft Corp. right this moment issued safety updates to repair greater than 80 vulnerabilities in its Home windows working techniques and software program. There are not any recognized “zero-day” or actively exploited vulnerabilities on this month’s bundle from Redmond, which nonetheless contains patches for 13 flaws that earned Microsoft’s most-dire “vital” label. In the meantime, each Apple and Google not too long ago launched updates to repair zero-day bugs of their units.
Microsoft assigns safety flaws a “vital” ranking when malware or miscreants can exploit them to realize distant entry to a Home windows system with little or no assist from customers. Among the many extra regarding vital bugs quashed this month is CVE-2025-54918. The issue right here resides with Home windows NTLM, or NT LAN Supervisor, a set of code for managing authentication in a Home windows community surroundings.
Redmond charges this flaw as “Exploitation Extra Doubtless,” and though it’s listed as a privilege escalation vulnerability, Kev Breen at Immersive says this one is definitely exploitable over the community or the Web.
“From Microsoft’s restricted description, it seems that if an attacker is ready to ship specifically crafted packets over the community to the goal system, they might have the flexibility to realize SYSTEM-level privileges on the goal machine,” Breen mentioned. “The patch notes for this vulnerability state that ‘Improper authentication in Home windows NTLM permits a licensed attacker to raise privileges over a community,’ suggesting an attacker could already have to have entry to the NTLM hash or the consumer’s credentials.”
Breen mentioned one other patch — CVE-2025-55234, a 8.8 CVSS-scored flaw affecting the Home windows SMB shopper for sharing recordsdata throughout a community — is also listed as privilege escalation bug however is likewise remotely exploitable. This vulnerability was publicly disclosed previous to this month.
“Microsoft says that an attacker with community entry would be capable to carry out a replay assault towards a goal host, which may consequence within the attacker gaining extra privileges, which may result in code execution,” Breen famous.
CVE-2025-54916 is an “vital” vulnerability in Home windows NTFS — the default filesystem for all trendy variations of Home windows — that may result in distant code execution. Microsoft likewise thinks we’re greater than prone to see exploitation of this bug quickly: The final time Microsoft patched an NTFS bug was in March 2025 and it was already being exploited within the wild as a zero-day.
“Whereas the title of the CVE says ‘Distant Code Execution,’ this exploit shouldn’t be remotely exploitable over the community, however as a substitute wants an attacker to both have the flexibility to run code on the host or to persuade a consumer to run a file that might set off the exploit,” Breen mentioned. “That is generally seen in social engineering assaults, the place they ship the consumer a file to open as an attachment or a hyperlink to a file to obtain and run.”
Crucial and distant code execution bugs are inclined to steal all of the limelight, however Tenable Senior Workers Analysis Engineer Satnam Narang notes that just about half of all vulnerabilities mounted by Microsoft this month are privilege escalation flaws that require an attacker to have gained entry to a goal system first earlier than trying to raise privileges.
“For the third time this 12 months, Microsoft patched extra elevation of privilege vulnerabilities than distant code execution flaws,” Narang noticed.
On Sept. 3, Google mounted two flaws that have been detected as exploited in zero-day assaults, together with CVE-2025-38352, an elevation of privilege within the Android kernel, and CVE-2025-48543, additionally an elevation of privilege downside within the Android Runtime part.
Additionally, Apple not too long ago patched its seventh zero-day (CVE-2025-43300) of this 12 months. It was a part of an exploit chain used together with a vulnerability within the WhatsApp (CVE-2025-55177) instantaneous messenger to hack Apple units. Amnesty Worldwide stories that the 2 zero-days have been utilized in “a sophisticated adware marketing campaign” over the previous 90 days. The difficulty is mounted in iOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 17.7.10, macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.8, and macOS Ventura 13.7.8.
The SANS Web Storm Middle has a clickable breakdown of every particular person repair from Microsoft, listed by severity and CVSS rating. Enterprise Home windows admins concerned in testing patches earlier than rolling them out ought to control askwoody.com, which regularly has the thin on wonky updates.
AskWoody additionally reminds us that we’re now simply two months out from Microsoft discontinuing free safety updates for Home windows 10 computer systems. For these fascinated with safely extending the lifespan and usefulness of those older machines, take a look at final month’s Patch Tuesday protection for a couple of pointers.
As ever, please don’t neglect to again up your knowledge (if not your complete system) at common intervals, and be happy to pontificate within the feedback should you expertise issues putting in any of those fixes.
