CVE-2025-49728VulnerabilityPublished 16 Sep 2025Updated 20 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-49728: Microsoft PC Manager · Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

Affects Microsoft PC ManagerSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.0 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.0Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Temporal metrics

Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven: No exploit code is available, or an exploit is theoretical.
Remediation Level: Official Fix: A complete vendor solution is available. Either the vendor has issued an official patch, or an upgrade is available.
Report Confidence: Confirmed: Detailed reports exist, or functional reproduction is possible (functional exploits may provide this). Source code is available to independently verify the assertions of the research, or the author or vendor of the affected code has confirmed the presence of the vulnerability.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Sep 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Microsoft Microsoft PC Manager	Affected =1.0.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-49728 effectively, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict local access to systems running Microsoft PC Manager by enforcing strict physical security controls and limiting user accounts with local login privileges. 2) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for unusual access patterns or attempts to read sensitive files associated with PC Manager. 3) Use full disk encryption and secure storage solutions to reduce the risk of data exposure even if cleartext storage occurs at the application level. 4) Regularly audit and review local user permissions and remove unnecessary accounts or privileges to minimize attack surface. 5) Until an official patch is released, consider isolating or limiting the deployment of Microsoft PC Manager in high-risk environments. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of local data exposure and encourage prompt reporting of suspicious activity. 7) Monitor Microsoft’s security advisories for updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local access and enhancing detection capabilities specific to the nature of this vulnerability.

Description

Cleartext storage of sensitive information in Microsoft PC Manager allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-49728 is the compromise of confidentiality due to the cleartext storage of sensitive information. Unauthorized local attackers can access this data, potentially bypassing security mechanisms that depend on its secrecy. While the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability, the exposure of sensitive information can lead to further attacks, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within an organization’s network. Organizations worldwide using Microsoft PC Manager on endpoints face risks of data leakage, especially in environments where local access controls are weak or where multiple users share systems. The lack of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation by insiders or attackers with physical or remote local access. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against organizations with valuable data or critical infrastructure. The medium severity rating suggests a moderate risk, but the actual impact depends on the sensitivity of the stored information and the security posture of the affected environment.

CWE-312Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
Implementation · System Configuration · Operation
When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to encrypt the data at rest.
Implementation · System Configuration · Operation
In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of "double encryption" (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.6 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-49728 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 21 Feb 2026, 21:15 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-312

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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