dbcve.org
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2025-21180

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.10240.20947 / 10.0.14393.7876 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows exFAT File System allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Windows exFAT file system driver. The flaw allows a local, unauthorized attacker to exploit improper bounds checking when handling exFAT file system operations, leading to heap memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-21180. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling exFAT file system support or restricting access to removable media using Group Policy until the patch can be deployed.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Windows 10 1507Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.10240.20947
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.7876
Windows 10 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.7009
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.5608
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.5608
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.5039
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.5039
Windows 11 24h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.26100.3403> 10.0.26100.3403, < 10.0.26100.3476

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to find the installed Windows version and build number.
    Affected if The version falls within any of the affected ranges: Windows 10 1507 < 10.0.10240.20947, Windows 10 1607 < 10.0.14393.7876, Windows 10 1809 < 10.0.17763.7009, Windows 10 21h2 < 10.0.19044.5608, Windows 10 22h2 < 10.0.19045.5608, Windows 11 22h2 < 10.0.22621.5039, Windows 11 23h2 < 10.0.22631.5039, W
  2. Verify exFAT driver is present
    Check for the presence of exfat.sys in the system drivers directory by running 'dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\exfat.sys' or 'Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\exfat.sys' in PowerShell.
    Affected if The exfat.sys driver file exists on the system (the vulnerability requires this driver to be present).
  3. Confirm exFAT driver loaded status
    Run 'sc query exfat' or check the driver loaded status via 'Get-Process' and 'driverquery /v | findstr exfat' to see if the exFAT driver is currently loaded in memory.
    Affected if The exFAT driver is actively loaded and being used by the system (required for the vulnerability to be exploitable).

A system is affected if it runs an affected Windows version AND has the exFAT driver present or loaded, as the heap-based buffer overflow occurs in the exFAT file system driver when handling exFAT operations.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.0.10240.20947 / 10.0.14393.7876 / 10.0.17763.7009 or later
Fixed in 10.0.10240.2094710.0.14393.787610.0.17763.7009
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-21180. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling exFAT file system support or restricting access to removable media using Group Policy until the patch can be deployed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows Security Update KB5055527 (or subsequent update containing CVE-2025-21180 fix) matching your Windows version

  1. Identify the exact Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' to confirm the build number
  2. Navigate to Windows Update Settings > Check for Updates
  3. Install all cumulative security updates for your Windows version
  4. Alternatively, download the specific security update from the Microsoft Update Catalog for CVE-2025-21180
  5. Restart the system after applying the update
  6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed build: Windows 10 1507: 10.0.10240.20947, Windows 10 1607: 10.0.14393.7876, Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.7009, Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.5608, Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.5608, Windows 11 22h2: 10.0.22621.5039, Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.5039, Windows 11 24h2: 10.0.26100.3476
Caveat Standard Windows update risks - ensure backups exist; may require restart

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 1507 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21180 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data