CVE-2025-33053: Microsoft Windows External Control of File Name or Path Vulnerability

What it is

External control of file name or path in Internet Shortcut Files allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Exploitation evidence

First exploit evidence seen: 2025-06-10 (earliest date across the sources below).

Exploited in the wild

• CISA KEV: listed since 2025-06-10. Source

Public exploit code

Metasploit

• exploit/windows/fileformat/unc_url_cve_2025_33053: CVE-2025-33053 Exploit via Malicious .URL File and WebDAV (disclosure 2025-06-11)

GitHub proof-of-concept repositories

5 public repositories from 5 accounts, first seen 2025-06-12. Most starred: DevBuiHieu/CVE-2025-33053-Proof-Of-Concept (63 stars), view repository.

Verify before running: public PoCs can be malicious. Read the code and only run it in an isolated lab. A PoC means exploit code is public, not that this CVE is exploited in the wild.

Sources: CISA KEV · Rapid7 Metasploit Framework module metadata · nomi-sec/PoC-in-GitHub.

How to fix it

CISA required action

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. (source: CISA KEV)

Fixed versions

• microsoft windows 10 1507: upgrade to 10.0.10240.21034 or later
• microsoft windows 10 1607: upgrade to 10.0.14393.8148 or later
• microsoft windows 10 1809: upgrade to 10.0.17763.7434 or later
• microsoft windows 10 21h2: upgrade to 10.0.19044.5965 or later
• microsoft windows 10 22h2: upgrade to 10.0.19045.5965 or later
• microsoft windows 11 22h2: upgrade to 10.0.22621.5472 or later
• microsoft windows 11 23h2: upgrade to 10.0.22631.5472 or later
• microsoft windows 11 24h2: upgrade to 10.0.26100.4270 or later
• microsoft windows server 2016: upgrade to 10.0.14393.8148 or later
• microsoft windows server 2019: upgrade to 10.0.17763.7434 or later
• microsoft windows server 2022: upgrade to 10.0.20348.3745 or later
• microsoft windows server 2022 23h2: upgrade to 10.0.25398.1665 or later
• microsoft windows server 2025: upgrade to 10.0.26100.4270 or later

Derived from the NVD CPE configuration (versionEndExcluding / versionEndIncluding). Always confirm with the vendor advisory.

Vendor advisories and patches

• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2025-33053 (CISA KEV notes)
• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-33053 (Vendor Advisory)
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-33053-mitigation-script-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-microsoft-webdav (Exploit, Mitigation, Third Party Advisory)

MITRE ATT&CK mitigations for this chain

• M1049 Antivirus/Antimalware (for T1566.001, T1059) : Anti-virus can also automatically quarantine suspicious files.
• M1018 User Account Management (for T1566.001, T1543) : Apply user account management principles to limit permissions for accounts interacting with email attachments, ensuring that only necessary accounts have the ability to open or execute files. Restricting account privileges reduces the potential impact of malicious attachments by preventing unauthorized execution or spr
• M1047 Audit (for T1566.001, T1059, T1543) : Enable auditing and monitoring for email attachments and file transfers to detect and investigate suspicious activity. Regularly review logs for anomalies related to attachments containing potentially malicious content, as well as any attempts to execute or interact with these files. This practice helps identify spearp
• M1031 Network Intrusion Prevention (for T1566.001, T1041) : Network intrusion prevention systems and systems designed to scan and remove malicious email attachments can be used to block activity.
• M1054 Software Configuration (for T1566.001, T1543) : Use anti-spoofing and email authentication mechanisms to filter messages based on validity checks of the sender domain (using SPF) and integrity of messages (using DKIM). Enabling these mechanisms within an organization (through policies such as DMARC) may enable recipients (intra-org and cross domain) to perform simil
• M1017 User Training (for T1566.001) : Users can be trained to identify social engineering techniques and spearphishing emails.
• M1021 Restrict Web-Based Content (for T1566.001, T1059) : Block unknown or unused attachments by default that should not be transmitted over email as a best practice to prevent some vectors, such as .scr, .exe, .pif, .cpl, etc. Some email scanning devices can open and analyze compressed and encrypted formats, such as zip and rar that may be used to conceal malicious attachmen
• M1033 Limit Software Installation (for T1059, T1543) : Prevent user installation of unrequired command and scripting interpreters.
• M1045 Code Signing (for T1059, T1543) : Where possible, only permit execution of signed scripts.
• M1042 Disable or Remove Feature or Program (for T1059) : Disable or remove any unnecessary or unused shells or interpreters.

Detection Generic guidance

• Initial Access: Alert on unusual requests to the affected service (odd paths, oversized payloads, exploit strings) in WAF, reverse-proxy and application logs.
• Execution: Watch for the service process spawning shells or script interpreters (cmd.exe, powershell, sh, bash, python) via EDR process-tree rules.
• Persistence: Look for new files in web roots, new scheduled tasks/services, and new accounts created after the exposure window.
• Privilege Escalation: Alert on processes gaining SYSTEM/root unexpectedly, and on exploitation crashes of privileged services.
• Credential Access: Monitor for credential dumping, unusual LSASS access and sudden authentication from new sources.
• Collection: Watch for bulk reads of databases, file shares or mailboxes by the affected service.
• Exfiltration: Watch for large or unusual outbound transfers from the affected host.

Response checklist Generic guidance

1. Inventory: find every instance of the affected product and version (include internet-facing and forgotten ones).
2. Patch or mitigate per the vendor advisory; if you cannot patch, remove internet exposure or apply the vendor workaround.
3. Assume compromise if the system was exposed before patching: hunt for the indicators in the advisory and review logs back to the disclosure date.
4. Rotate credentials and secrets stored on or used by the affected system if compromise cannot be ruled out.