CVE-2025-54092 is a high-severity race condition vulnerability identified in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809, specifically affecting the Hyper-V virtualization component. The vulnerability arises from improper synchronization when concurrently accessing shared resources, categorized under CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization). This flaw allows an authorized local attacker—someone with limited privileges on the affected system—to exploit the race condition to elevate their privileges. The attacker can leverage this to gain higher-level access rights, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8, indicating a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L) and privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, though the vulnerability is publicly disclosed as of September 2025. The issue is rooted in Windows Hyper-V's handling of concurrent operations, which is critical for virtualization environments. Improper synchronization can cause race conditions that malicious actors can exploit to bypass security boundaries within the host OS, undermining system security and potentially allowing execution of arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-54092 can be significant, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Windows 10 Version 1809 with Hyper-V virtualization for critical workloads. Privilege escalation vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of services, and lateral movement within networks. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure that use Hyper-V for virtualization are particularly at risk. The ability of an attacker to elevate privileges locally means that any compromised user account or insider threat could exploit this vulnerability to gain administrative control, potentially leading to data breaches, ransomware deployment, or sabotage. Since Windows 10 Version 1809 is an older release, some organizations may still be running it due to legacy application dependencies, increasing their exposure. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the high severity score underscores the urgency of addressing this vulnerability to prevent exploitation that could disrupt business operations and compromise data confidentiality and integrity.

1. Immediate upgrade or patching: Organizations should prioritize upgrading from Windows 10 Version 1809 to a more recent, supported Windows version where this vulnerability is fixed. If patches become available from Microsoft, they should be applied promptly. 2. Restrict local access: Limit the number of users with local access to systems running Hyper-V, enforcing the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of exploitation. 3. Monitor Hyper-V environments: Implement enhanced monitoring and logging of Hyper-V activities to detect unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected privilege escalations or process anomalies. 4. Harden virtualization hosts: Follow best practices for securing Hyper-V hosts, including disabling unnecessary services, applying security baselines, and isolating virtualization hosts from general user environments. 5. Use application whitelisting and endpoint protection: Deploy advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting suspicious local privilege escalation attempts. 6. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments: Continuously scan and assess systems for outdated Windows versions and known vulnerabilities to maintain an up-to-date security posture. 7. Educate users and administrators: Train staff on the risks of local privilege escalation vulnerabilities and the importance of maintaining updated systems and secure configurations.