Authenticated network privilege escalation
Published Aug 12, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
Improper authentication in Windows NTLM allows remote authenticated users to elevate privileges across affected Windows releases. Microsoft identifies Windows NTLM as the affected component but has not published the specific authentication check or input-handling error. Exploitation requires existing authorization and network access; success elevates privileges on the target rather than merely disclosing NTLM activity.
Summary
What happened
Improper authentication in Windows NTLM allows remote authenticated users to elevate privileges across affected Windows releases. Microsoft identifies Windows NTLM as the affected component but has not published the specific authentication check or input-handling error. Exploitation requires existing authorization and network access; success elevates privileges on the target rather than merely disclosing NTLM activity.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-53778
- Published
- Aug 12, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 26, 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=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.21100
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