CVE Alert: CVE-2025-54092 – Microsoft – Windows 10 Version 1809

Risk verdict

High severity local privilege escalation risk; exploitation activity is not currently observed according to CISA ADP data.

Why this matters

If chained, an authorised local attacker could elevate to SYSTEM on a Hyper-V host, potentially compromising the host and any hosted VMs, undermining confidentiality, integrity and availability of virtualised workloads. Many organisations rely on Hyper-V across servers and endpoints, so a single unpatched host could become a pivot point for broader compromise within an environment.

Most likely attack path

Exploitation requires local access with low complexity and no user interaction, leveraging a race condition in Windows Hyper-V alongside a use-after-free flaw to lift privileges. The vulnerability impacts multiple Windows versions with scope limited to the affected component, so an attacker would need to operate within the host or a guest VM with Hyper-V access to gain higher privileges.

Who is most exposed

Organizations using Hyper-V in on-premises or cloud-hosted deployments, including Windows Server and desktops with Hyper-V enabled, are most at risk. Environments with guest-to-host or host-to-VM interactions are particularly relevant.

Detection ideas

• Monitor for unusual Hyper-V process activity (e.g., vmwp.exe) or unexpected hypervisor calls.
• Look for privilege-escalation events (e.g., new or elevated tokens) without corresponding admin action.
• Detect memory/kernel anomalies or crash dumps related to Hyper-V components.
• Enable enhanced auditing around virtualization management and unusual scheduling behaviour.

Mitigation and prioritisation

• Apply the official Microsoft security update across affected OS versions as a priority.
• If patching is delayed, restrict Hyper-V usage to essential hosts, disable unnecessary management features, and enforce least-privilege on Hyper-V admins.
• Enable memory integrity and Hyper-V/Virtualisation-Based Security where feasible; ensure strong network segmentation for virtualization management traffic.
• Verify patch deployment during change windows, with rollback plans and asset inventory updates.
• Treat as priority 2 per standard risk, escalating if exploitation indicators emerge.