Aug 2025: Microsoft Windows LNK File UI Misrepresentation Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
CVE-2025-9491 Published on August 26, 2025

Microsoft Windows LNK File UI Misrepresentation Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Microsoft Windows LNK File UI Misrepresentation Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Microsoft Windows. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of .LNK files. Crafted data in an .LNK file can cause hazardous content in the file to be invisible to a user who inspects the file via the Windows-provided user interface. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. Was ZDI-CAN-25373.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-9491 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. Public availability of a proof of concept (POC) exploit exists for CVE-2025-9491. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
REQUIRED
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
NONE
Integrity Impact:
LOW
Availability Impact:
NONE

Weakness Type

User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation of Critical Information

The user interface (UI) does not properly represent critical information to the user, allowing the information - or its source - to be obscured or spoofed. This is often a component in phishing attacks.


Products Associated with CVE-2025-9491

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Microsoft Windows
 

Affected Versions

Microsoft Windows Version 11 Enterprise 23H2 22631.4169 x64 is affected by CVE-2025-9491

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.23%
Percentile
45.52%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.