CVE-2025-47160 is a vulnerability identified in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 (build 10.0.17763.0) involving a protection mechanism failure within the Windows Shell component. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-693, which relates to protection mechanism failures where a security feature is bypassed. Specifically, this flaw allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature remotely over a network without requiring any privileges or prior authentication. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requires user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact affects integrity and availability but not confidentiality (C:N/I:L/A:L). The exploitability is currently unknown in the wild, and no patches or mitigations have been officially published at the time of disclosure. The vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass security controls in the Windows Shell, potentially enabling limited unauthorized actions that could degrade system integrity or availability, such as executing unauthorized commands or disrupting shell operations remotely. Given the requirement for user interaction, exploitation might involve convincing a user to perform an action such as opening a malicious file or link over the network. The lack of privilege requirements and network attack vector increases the risk of exploitation in exposed environments, especially those still running the older Windows 10 1809 version, which is past mainstream support. This vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date Windows versions and applying security updates promptly once available.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-47160 could be significant, particularly for those still operating legacy Windows 10 Version 1809 systems in critical infrastructure, government, healthcare, or financial sectors. The ability for an unauthenticated attacker to bypass security protections remotely and cause integrity and availability issues could lead to service disruptions, unauthorized modifications, or denial of service conditions. Although confidentiality is not directly impacted, the integrity and availability degradation could affect business continuity and trust in IT systems. Organizations with remote access services or exposed network shares running this Windows version are at higher risk. The requirement for user interaction somewhat limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with less security awareness or where social engineering is effective. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but does not preclude future exploitation. European entities must consider this vulnerability in their risk assessments, especially given the widespread use of Windows 10 in enterprise environments and the potential for targeted attacks leveraging this flaw.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on upgrading affected systems from Windows 10 Version 1809 to a supported and patched version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, as Microsoft typically addresses such vulnerabilities in cumulative updates for supported versions. 2. Until patches are available, restrict network exposure of Windows 10 1809 systems by limiting access to trusted networks only, using network segmentation and firewall rules to block unnecessary inbound connections. 3. Implement strict user awareness training to reduce the risk of successful social engineering or user interaction exploitation vectors. 4. Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor and block suspicious shell activities or unauthorized command executions. 5. Disable or restrict Windows Shell features that are not essential, especially those exposed over the network, to reduce the attack surface. 6. Monitor network traffic and system logs for unusual activities indicative of exploitation attempts targeting Windows Shell components. 7. Maintain an inventory of systems running Windows 10 1809 and prioritize them for upgrade or isolation. 8. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential exploitation of this vulnerability to enable rapid containment and remediation.