Local privilege escalation via uncontrolled search path
Published Apr 12, 2025 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Uncontrolled search path handling in Microsoft VSTA and SSMS allows local users to elevate privileges through unsafe dependency resolution. Microsoft identifies an uncontrolled search path element but does not disclose the affected file, process, search order, or loaded object. Successful exploitation requires existing low-privileged local access and user interaction; resulting code executes with elevated privileges.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled search path handling in Microsoft VSTA and SSMS allows local users to elevate privileges through unsafe dependency resolution. Microsoft identifies an uncontrolled search path element but does not disclose the affected file, process, search order, or loaded object. Successful exploitation requires existing low-privileged local access and user interaction; resulting code executes with elevated privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-29803
- Published
- Apr 12, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2022 SDK
- Classifications
- CWE-427
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=17.0 <17.0.35906.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo