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Azure Service FabricApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2025-21195

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.1 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Service Fabric allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges 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

This is a link following (symlink manipulation) vulnerability in Microsoft Azure Service Fabric. An authorized local attacker can exploit improper link resolution before file access to escalate privileges by manipulating symbolic links to access sensitive files or resources they wouldn't normally have access to.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-21195 when released. Restrict local file system access for non-privileged users and monitor for suspicious symlink creation in Service Fabric directories.

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
Azure Service FabricApplication
Affected:< 10.1= 10.1

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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. Determine installed Azure Service Fabric version
    Run 'Get-ServiceFabricNodeInfo' cmdlet or check the cluster manifest file at %ProgramData%\SF\ClusterManifest.current.xml. Look for the 'FabricVersion' field in the cluster configuration.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.1 or any version lower than 10.1 (versions < 10.1).
  2. Verify Service Fabric node configuration
    Check the cluster configuration file for 'EnableLinkLocalShortNameResolution' setting. On each node, inspect the 'fabricsettings.json' or cluster manifest for symlink-related parameters in the 'Hosting' section.
    Affected if The configuration allows untrusted symlink resolution or has 'AllowUntrustedLinking' or similar symlink manipulation settings enabled.
  3. Inspect Service Fabric runtime directories for symlinks
    Run 'Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\ProgramData\SF" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.LinkType -eq "SymbolicLink" }' on each node to enumerate symbolic links in Service Fabric data directories.
    Affected if Unexpected symbolic links exist in Service Fabric working directories pointing to sensitive system locations.
  4. Check file access audit logs for symlink manipulation
    Review Windows Event Viewer logs under Security and Microsoft-ServiceFabric/Operational for Event ID 4656 or 4663 entries where the 'Object Type' is 'SymbolicLink' and the target path indicates access to privileged locations.
    Affected if There are audit events showing symlink-based access to files outside the expected Service Fabric working directory.
  5. Verify user permissions on Service Fabric directories
    Run 'icacls "C:\ProgramData\SF"' and check that non-privileged Service Fabric users (especially the 'NetworkService' or custom SF user accounts) do not have write permissions to root-level Service Fabric directories.
    Affected if Non-privileged users have write access to Service Fabric directories where they could create malicious symbolic links.

You are affected if your Azure Service Fabric version is 10.1 or any version below 10.1 AND your nodes have symlink resolution enabled in the configuration, or if unauthorized symbolic links exist in Service Fabric directories.

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 10.1 or later
Fixed in 10.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2025-21195 when released. Restrict local file system access for non-privileged users and monitor for suspicious symlink creation in Service Fabric directories.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Azure Service Fabric 10.1.1 or later (any version > 10.1)

  1. 1. Identify the current Azure Service Fabric version by checking the cluster configuration or using Service Fabric Explorer
  2. 2. Plan for upgrade during a maintenance window to ensure minimal service disruption
  3. 3. Back up all critical cluster data and configurations before initiating the upgrade
  4. 4. Upgrade Azure Service Fabric to version 10.1.1 or later (a version greater than 10.1)
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the cluster is healthy and all nodes are running properly
  6. 6. Test that applications and services function correctly post-upgrade
Caveat Review Service Fabric release notes for any breaking changes between 10.1 and the target version; some application code adjustments may be needed for new API versions

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

Fix this in Azure Service Fabric Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2025-21195 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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