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Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-25187

High
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
CWE-59 — Weakness Type
Published: Mar 10, 2026  ·  Modified: Mar 17, 2026  ·  Source: NVD
CVSS v3
7.8
🔗 NVD Official
📄 Description (English)

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Winlogon allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2026-25187 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Winlogon affecting multiple Windows 10 versions through improper symbolic link resolution. An authorized local attacker can exploit this to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level. With a CVSS score of 7.8 and no public exploit currently available, this poses a significant risk to Saudi organizations relying on Windows 10 infrastructure, particularly in government and banking sectors where Winlogon processes handle critical authentication.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 29, 2026 07:02
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions), government agencies (NCA oversight), and critical infrastructure operators. Windows 10 is widely deployed across Saudi organizations for administrative and operational workstations. Successful exploitation enables insider threats and compromised user accounts to gain SYSTEM-level access, potentially affecting ARAMCO operations, STC telecommunications infrastructure, and healthcare systems. The link-following vulnerability in Winlogon is particularly dangerous as it affects the core authentication and session management process used across Saudi enterprise environments.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services Government and Public Administration Energy and Utilities Telecommunications Healthcare Critical Infrastructure Defense and Security
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
7.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Prioritize patching all Windows 10 systems (versions 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2) across x86, x64, and ARM64 architectures
2. Apply Microsoft security updates immediately upon availability
3. Implement principle of least privilege to restrict local user account capabilities
4. Review and audit local administrator group memberships

PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Deploy Windows Update or WSUS patches to all affected Windows 10 versions
2. Test patches in non-production environments first
3. Prioritize critical systems: domain controllers, administrative workstations, banking terminals
4. Establish rollback procedures before deployment

COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patching delayed):
1. Restrict local logon rights using Group Policy (deny local logon for non-essential accounts)
2. Implement AppLocker to prevent unauthorized executable execution
3. Enable Windows Defender Application Guard on administrative workstations
4. Monitor Winlogon process behavior and symbolic link creation attempts
5. Disable unnecessary local user accounts

DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor Event ID 4688 (Process Creation) for Winlogon child processes
2. Alert on symbolic link creation in %WINDIR%\System32 and %WINDIR%\SysWOW64
3. Track file access to Winlogon-related registry keys (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon)
4. Monitor for privilege escalation attempts using Windows Security Event logs (Event ID 4672)
5. Implement EDR rules detecting link following patterns in system directories
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. أولويات تصحيح جميع أنظمة Windows 10 (الإصدارات 1607، 1809، 21H2، 22H2) عبر معماريات x86 و x64 و ARM64
2. تطبيق تحديثات أمان Microsoft فوراً عند توفرها
3. تطبيق مبدأ أقل امتياز لتقييد قدرات حسابات المستخدمين المحليين
4. مراجعة وتدقيق عضويات مجموعة المسؤولين المحليين

إرشادات التصحيح:
1. نشر تحديثات Windows Update أو WSUS لجميع إصدارات Windows 10 المتأثرة
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. إعطاء الأولوية للأنظمة الحرجة: متحكمات المجال، محطات العمل الإدارية، محطات البنوك
4. إنشاء إجراءات التراجع قبل النشر

الضوابط البديلة (إذا تأخر التصحيح):
1. تقييد حقوق تسجيل الدخول المحلي باستخدام Group Policy
2. تطبيق AppLocker لمنع تنفيذ الملفات التنفيذية غير المصرح بها
3. تفعيل Windows Defender Application Guard على محطات العمل الإدارية
4. مراقبة سلوك عملية Winlogon ومحاولات إنشاء الروابط الرمزية
5. تعطيل حسابات المستخدمين المحليين غير الضرورية

قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة Event ID 4688 (إنشاء العملية) لعمليات Winlogon الفرعية
2. تنبيهات على إنشاء الروابط الرمزية في %WINDIR%\System32 و %WINDIR%\SysWOW64
3. تتبع الوصول إلى مفاتيح سجل Winlogon ذات الصلة
4. مراقبة محاولات تصعيد الامتيازات باستخدام سجلات أحداث Windows الأمنية
5. تطبيق قواعد EDR للكشف عن أنماط متابعة الروابط في أدلة النظام
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policies ECC 2024 A.5.2.1 - User Registration and De-registration ECC 2024 A.5.3.1 - Access Rights Review ECC 2024 A.8.2.1 - Classification of Information ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Change Management
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Hardware and Software Inventory SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control Policy SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - System Monitoring SAMA CSF RS.MI-2 - Incident Response Procedures
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.15 - Access Control ISO 27001:2022 A.5.16 - Identification and Authentication ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User Endpoint Devices ISO 27001:2022 A.8.22 - Monitoring ISO 27001:2022 A.8.32 - Change Management
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.1 - Configuration Standards PCI DSS 6.2 - Security Patches PCI DSS 7.1 - Access Control PCI DSS 10.2 - User Activity Logging
📦 Affected Products / CPE 25 entries
microsoft:windows_10_1607
microsoft:windows_10_1607
microsoft:windows_10_1809
microsoft:windows_10_1809
microsoft:windows_10_21h2
microsoft:windows_10_21h2
microsoft:windows_10_21h2
microsoft:windows_10_22h2
microsoft:windows_10_22h2
microsoft:windows_10_22h2
microsoft:windows_11_23h2
microsoft:windows_11_23h2
microsoft:windows_11_24h2
microsoft:windows_11_24h2
microsoft:windows_11_25h2
microsoft:windows_11_25h2
microsoft:windows_11_26h1
microsoft:windows_11_26h1
microsoft:windows_server_2012:-
microsoft:windows_server_2012:r2
microsoft:windows_server_2016
microsoft:windows_server_2019
microsoft:windows_server_2022
microsoft:windows_server_2022_23h2
microsoft:windows_server_2025
📊 CVSS Score
7.8
/ 10.0 — High
📊 CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorL — Low / Local
Attack ComplexityL — Low / Local
Privileges RequiredL — Low / Local
User InteractionN — None / Network
ScopeU — Unchanged
ConfidentialityH — High
IntegrityH — High
AvailabilityH — High
📋 Quick Facts
Severity High
CVSS Score7.8
CWECWE-59
Exploit No
Patch ✓ Yes
Published 2026-03-10
Source Feed nvd
Views 4
🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score
7.8
/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk
Priority: HIGH
🏷️ Tags
CWE-59
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