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Introduction:
Microsoft’s May 2025 Patch Tuesday delivers a vital wave of updates aimed at tightening security across its ecosystem. This month, the tech giant has rolled out patches for 72 vulnerabilities, including five actively exploited zero-day threats and two others that were publicly disclosed before fixes were available. Six of the flaws are deemed “Critical,” predominantly tied to remote code execution risks.
These updates span a wide array of Microsoft products and services — from Office and Windows components to Azure and Visual Studio. The urgency of this month’s fixes is heightened by the fact that multiple vulnerabilities are being actively weaponized in the wild. Here’s a detailed look into what’s been patched, how these vulnerabilities work, and what you need to be aware of.
May 2025 Patch Tuesday Breakdown (30-line digest)
Total vulnerabilities fixed: 72
Actively exploited zero-days: 5
Publicly disclosed zero-days: 2
Critical vulnerabilities: 6
High-risk categories include:
28 Remote Code Execution (RCE)
17 Privilege Escalation
15 Information Disclosure
7 Denial of Service
2 Spoofing
2 Security Feature Bypass
Key zero-day vulnerabilities patched:
- CVE-2025-30400: Elevation of privilege via Windows DWM Core Library. Exploited locally to gain SYSTEM-level access.
- CVE-2025-32701 & CVE-2025-32706: Log File System Driver flaws allowing privilege elevation.
- CVE-2025-32709: Vulnerability in WinSock Ancillary Driver exploited to gain SYSTEM rights.
- CVE-2025-30397: Type confusion bug in Microsoft’s scripting engine; enables remote code execution via Edge or Internet Explorer.
Publicly disclosed vulnerabilities:
CVE-2025-26685: Microsoft Defender for Identity spoofing issue exploitable by unauthenticated users on a local network.
CVE-2025-32702: Visual Studio remote code execution vulnerability triggered through command injection.
Other notable patches:
Office suite vulnerabilities in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
Remote Desktop, Azure DevOps, and Hyper-V vulnerabilities.
Visual Studio and .NET spoofing and execution flaws.
Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) memory safety issues and spoofing bugs.
Other companies issuing May updates:
Apple: iOS, iPadOS, and macOS patches
Google: Fix for an actively exploited Android zero-click bug
Intel: CPU microcode updates for data-leaking “Branch Privilege Injection” flaw
Fortinet, Cisco, SonicWall, SAP: All issued critical updates for vulnerabilities being actively targeted
What Undercode Say:
The May 2025 Patch Tuesday stands out as a critical checkpoint in Microsoft’s ongoing cybersecurity battle, especially with five zero-days already in the wild. Attackers leveraging elevation of privilege flaws to gain SYSTEM-level access suggest a growing sophistication in threat actor strategies. These vulnerabilities, especially those within core Windows components like DWM, WinSock, and Common Log File System, reveal that even the fundamental layers of the OS are under constant scrutiny by malicious actors.
The patching of CVE-2025-30397, a remote code execution bug in Microsoft’s scripting engine, is particularly significant. Historically, browser-based RCEs have enabled phishing attacks, malware delivery, and ransomware entry points. The need for user interaction (clicking a malicious link) underscores the continuing importance of user awareness in endpoint protection strategies.
Microsoft’s decision to highlight the role of its internal and external threat intelligence teams also reflects the importance of collaboration in vulnerability disclosure. Notably, contributors include Google’s Threat Intelligence Group and CrowdStrike, emphasizing that cross-vendor cooperation remains essential in identifying and mitigating zero-days.
While six critical vulnerabilities were resolved,
The scale of patches across Microsoft Office applications further underscores the persistent risk of document-based attacks. With multiple RCE vulnerabilities targeting Excel and PowerPoint, attackers could leverage weaponized documents in targeted phishing campaigns — something organizations must remain vigilant against.
Another recurring theme is the expanding surface area of cloud-connected and hybrid services. Azure-specific bugs, including those in Automation, File Sync, and DevOps, reflect the modern enterprise’s increasing reliance on cloud infrastructure. As businesses continue migrating workloads to the cloud, timely patching and visibility into these services become paramount.
The inclusion of fixes for spoofing vulnerabilities — especially CVE-2025-26685 in Microsoft Defender for Identity — shows Microsoft’s focus on identity security. Spoofing remains one of the top tactics for attackers attempting lateral movement and data exfiltration within enterprise networks.
The widespread nature of these flaws, affecting everything from media codecs to the Windows kernel, illustrates a threat landscape that demands constant vigilance. It’s not just zero-days or critical bugs that matter — the cumulative risk of multiple “Important” issues across interconnected systems creates fertile ground for attackers to build complex, multi-step exploits.
Organizations must prioritize patch deployment and leverage threat intelligence feeds to monitor for signs of exploitation. Furthermore, cybersecurity training for staff and continuous security monitoring are no longer optional — they are foundational pillars of modern risk mitigation.
Fact Checker Results:
Five zero-day vulnerabilities were being actively exploited at the time of the update.
Two zero-days were publicly disclosed before fixes were released.
Microsoft resolved a total of 72 vulnerabilities across a broad range of products.
Prediction:
As the sophistication of attacks continues to rise, we predict future Patch Tuesdays will increasingly feature more zero-days and cloud-related vulnerabilities. With AI-assisted code analysis becoming more mainstream for both attackers and defenders, the race to discover and patch vulnerabilities is accelerating. Enterprises will need to invest in automation, zero-trust architectures, and continuous vulnerability management to keep up. Expect Microsoft to expand its partnerships with third-party security vendors to maintain agility in the evolving threat landscape.
References:
Reported By: www.bleepingcomputer.com
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