CVE-2025-49739: Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Update 3 · Link Following
Affects Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Update 3Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 60% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:CExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Jul 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 2026-10-26.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
NuGetmicrosoft.visualstudiopkg:nuget/microsoft.visualstudioOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Until an official patch is released by Microsoft, organizations should implement several targeted mitigations: 1) Restrict network access to development machines running Visual Studio 2015 Update 3, limiting exposure to untrusted networks. 2) Enforce strict user privilege separation and avoid running Visual Studio with administrative privileges to reduce the impact of privilege escalation. 3) Educate users to avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited project files or solutions, minimizing the risk of triggering the vulnerability via crafted files. 4) Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor and block suspicious file system activities related to symbolic link manipulation. 5) Consider upgrading to a supported and patched version of Visual Studio, as legacy versions are more susceptible to vulnerabilities and lack security updates. 6) Implement file system permissions and policies that prevent unauthorized creation or modification of symbolic links in development environments. 7) Monitor security advisories from Microsoft for updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available.
Description
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Visual Studio allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.