CVE-2025-48799: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2025-48799) was identified in the Windows Update Service and patched as part of Microsoft's July 2025 Patch Tuesday release. The vulnerability stems from improper link resolution before file access (CWE-59), commonly known as 'link following'. The issue has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8, reflecting its significant impact (MITRE CVE, Immersive Labs).

The vulnerability occurs when the system fails to properly verify symbolic links or junctions before accessing files. This improper link resolution vulnerability could allow an attacker with low privileges to exploit the Windows Update Service without requiring any user interaction. The attack has been classified as having low complexity, indicating relative ease of exploitation in suitable environments (MITRE CVE).

If successfully exploited, an attacker could trick the Windows Update Service into overwriting or executing files in protected system directories. This could enable planting malicious executables, modifying configuration files, or hijacking privileged processes to achieve full SYSTEM-level access on affected systems (Immersive Labs).

Microsoft has released an official security patch to address this vulnerability. Organizations and end users are strongly urged to apply the official fix immediately to prevent potential system compromise (Immersive Labs).