Credential exposure via untrusted shortcut icon path
Published Mar 10, 2026 · Updated Mar 10, 2026
Information exposure in Windows Shell Link Processing allows remote attackers to expose authentication material via a crafted .lnk file. CShellLink::_UpdateIconFromExpIconSz expands the shortcut's icon TargetUnicode field and passes the resulting untrusted network path to PathFileExistsW without checking its security zone. Merely viewing a folder containing the shortcut triggers outbound authentication to the attacker-controlled path, enabling credential capture or relay without opening the file.
Summary
What happened
Information exposure in Windows Shell Link Processing allows remote attackers to expose authentication material via a crafted .lnk file. CShellLink::_UpdateIconFromExpIconSz expands the shortcut's icon TargetUnicode field and passes the resulting untrusted network path to PathFileExistsW without checking its security zone. Merely viewing a folder containing the shortcut triggers outbound authentication to the attacker-controlled path, enabling credential capture or relay without opening the file.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-25185
- Published
- Mar 10, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-200, T1187
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.8511
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
- TrustedSec LnkMeMaybe CVE-2026-25185 generatorfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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