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CVE-2025-27488· NVD / CVE Program· CNA microsoft

Microsoft Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 26/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.40% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. Administrator privileges are required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Windows 10 HLK version 20H2 10.1.19041.5609; Windows 10 HLK version 21H1 10.1.19041.5609; Windows 10 HLK version 21H2 10.1.19041.5609.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Windows 10 HLK version 20H2 10.1.19041.5609; Windows 10 HLK version 21H1 10.1.19041.5609; Windows 10 HLK version 21H2 10.1.19041.5609 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Use of hard-coded credentials in Windows Hardware Lab Kit allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

MediumCVSS 6.7 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 13, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 32th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

26

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.7 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · microsoft
6.7
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-27488

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
microsoftwindows hardware lab kit
microsoftwindows 10 1809
microsoftwindows server 2019
microsoftwindows 10 2004
microsoftwindows 10 20h2
microsoftwindows 10 21h1
microsoftwindows 10 21h2
microsoftwindows 10 22h2
microsoftwindows server 2022
microsoftwindows 11 22h2
microsoftwindows 11 24h2
microsoftwindows server 2025

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • microsoft windows hardware lab kitbefore 10.1.17763.7010
  • microsoft windows hardware lab kitbefore 10.1.19041.5609
  • microsoft windows hardware lab kitbefore 10.1.20348.3330
  • microsoft windows hardware lab kitbefore 10.1.22621.5040
  • microsoft windows hardware lab kitbefore 10.1.26100.3478

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (microsoft). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 20H2

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.19041.5609affected

  • Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H1

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.19041.5609affected

  • Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H2

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.19041.5609affected

  • Microsoft Windows 10 HLK Version 22H2

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.19041.5609affected

  • Microsoft Windows 11 HLK 22H2

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.22621.5040affected

  • Microsoft Windows 11 HLK 24H2

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.26100.3478affected

  • Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows 10 version 2004

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.19041.5609affected

  • Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2019

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.17763.7010affected

  • Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2022

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.20348.3330affected

  • Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2025

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.26100.3478affected

  • Microsoft Windows HLK, version 1809

    • 1.0.0 and later · before 10.1.17763.7010affected

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Windows 10 HLK version 20H210.1.19041.5609 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows 10 HLK version 21H110.1.19041.5609 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows 10 HLK version 21H210.1.19041.5609 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows 10 HLK Version 22H210.1.19041.5609 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows 11 HLK 22H210.1.22621.5040 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows 11 HLK 24H210.1.26100.3478 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows HLK for Windows 10 version 200410.1.19041.5609 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows HLK for Windows Server 201910.1.17763.7010 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows HLK for Windows Server 202210.1.20348.3330 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows HLK for Windows Server 202510.1.26100.3478 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Windows HLK, version 180910.1.17763.7010 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-798 · Use of Hard-coded Credentials

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Root cause

For convenience in support or manufacturing, an account that is identical on every device is embedded in the software. Credentials learned from one device work on all of them.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-798 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const SUPPORT_USER = "support";const SUPPORT_PASS = "hardcoded-password";

Fixed

ts
const creds = await provisioning.deviceCredentials(deviceId);if (creds.mustRotate) await forcePasswordChange(deviceId);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records