CVE-2025-24998 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) affecting Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 version 17.13 and earlier 17.10 versions. The vulnerability arises because Visual Studio improperly controls the search path used to locate DLLs or executables during its operation. An authorized local attacker with limited privileges can exploit this by placing a malicious file in a location that Visual Studio searches before the legitimate one, causing the malicious code to be loaded and executed with elevated privileges. This elevation of privilege can lead to full system compromise, allowing the attacker to gain administrative rights. The attack requires local access and some user interaction, such as running Visual Studio or triggering a specific operation within it. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling unauthorized code execution and potential system takeover. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and rated with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.3, indicating high severity. The issue is particularly critical in environments where Visual Studio is used extensively for software development, as it could be leveraged to escalate privileges and bypass security controls. Microsoft has not yet provided a patch at the time of this report, so mitigation relies on limiting local user permissions and monitoring for anomalous behavior related to DLL loading.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk especially to software development teams and IT departments using Visual Studio 2022. Successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation, allowing attackers to gain administrative control over affected machines. This can result in unauthorized access to sensitive source code, intellectual property theft, disruption of development workflows, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. The compromise of developer workstations can further facilitate supply chain attacks or insertion of malicious code into software products. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical development environments are at risk. Given the widespread use of Microsoft products in Europe, the impact could be broad, affecting industries reliant on secure software development such as finance, manufacturing, and government sectors. The requirement for local access somewhat limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised endpoints remain a concern.

1. Apply official Microsoft patches immediately once released for Visual Studio 2022 version 17.13 and affected versions. 2. Until patches are available, restrict local user permissions to the minimum necessary, preventing unauthorized users from placing files in directories that Visual Studio searches. 3. Implement application whitelisting and code integrity policies to prevent unauthorized DLLs or executables from loading. 4. Monitor logs and use endpoint detection tools to identify suspicious DLL loading or privilege escalation attempts. 5. Educate developers and IT staff about the risk of local privilege escalation and encourage cautious handling of local file system permissions. 6. Use sandboxing or containerization for development environments to limit the impact of potential exploitation. 7. Regularly audit and harden developer workstations, ensuring they are not exposed to unnecessary local users or malware.