CVE-2025-53769
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 · uneditedExternal control of file name or path in Windows Security App allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing 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 confidenceThe Windows Security App has a file path manipulation vulnerability where an authorized local attacker can influence file names or paths used by the application, enabling local spoofing. This appears to be a path injection issue where insufficient validation of file path inputs allows manipulation of where the application reads or writes files.
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< 1000.27840.0.1000CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Windows Security App versionOpen Settings > Apps > Apps & features, search for 'Windows Security' or 'Microsoft Defender', and note the version number shown. Alternatively, run 'Get-AppxPackage *WindowsSecurity* | Select-Object Name, Version' in PowerShell.Affected if The installed version is lower than 1000.27840.0.1000.
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Confirm Windows Security App is runningOpen Task Manager, go to the Details tab, and look for 'SecurityHealthService.exe' or 'MsMpEng.exe' processes. Also check if the Windows Security icon in the system tray is present and active.Affected if The Windows Security App process is actively running.
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Verify file handling features are in useUse Process Monitor (from Sysinternals) with a filter for 'Windows Security App' executable paths (such as SecurityHealthSystray.exe or WindowsSecurity.exe) and observe any file read/write operations, particularly to user-controlled directories like Downloads, Desktop, or temp folders.Affected if The app is performing file operations to paths that could be influenced by local users.
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Review security event logs for anomalous file accessOpen Event Viewer and navigate to Windows Logs > Security. Look for Event ID 4663 (Object Handle) or 4656 (Object Handle Requested) where the object name contains paths under user directories accessed by the Windows Security App process.Affected if File access events show Windows Security App reading/writing to unexpected user-controlled locations.
You are affected if the Windows Security App version is below 1000.27840.0.1000 AND the application performs file operations that could accept user-influenced paths.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1000.27840.0.1000
Apply vendor-supplied patches for Windows Security App when available. In the interim, restrict local user privileges and monitor for unusual file access patterns by the Windows Security App.
Windows Security App version 1000.27840.0.1000 or later
- Open Microsoft Store or check for updates in the Windows Security App
- Update Windows Security App to version 1000.27840.0.1000 or later
- Verify the update was successful by checking the app version in Settings > Apps > Windows Security
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-53769 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-53769 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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