Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability represents a critical security flaw within the VHDX file handling component of Microsoft systems. VHDX is a disk image file format used primarily by Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization technology to store virtual hard disk data. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely by crafting a malicious VHDX file that, when processed by a vulnerable system, triggers the execution of attacker-controlled code. The exploit leverages flaws in the parsing or processing logic of VHDX files, potentially bypassing security controls and executing code with the privileges of the user or system service handling the VHDX file. The presence of exploit code written in Perl indicates that proof-of-concept or weaponized scripts are available, facilitating exploitation by attackers with moderate technical skills. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the critical severity rating and the nature of the vulnerability suggest that multiple versions of Microsoft Hyper-V or related components that handle VHDX files could be impacted. The lack of patch links implies that a fix may not yet be publicly available, increasing the urgency for organizations to implement mitigations. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond processing the malicious VHDX file, and it can be triggered remotely, significantly increasing the attack surface and risk profile. Given the criticality and the remote code execution capability, this vulnerability poses a severe threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability could have severe consequences, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, enabling attackers to deploy malware, exfiltrate sensitive data, disrupt operations, or move laterally within networks. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and telecommunications, which often utilize virtualization for scalability and cost efficiency, are at heightened risk. The ability to execute code remotely without user interaction makes this vulnerability attractive for widespread exploitation campaigns, potentially leading to ransomware attacks or espionage activities targeting European entities. Additionally, the absence of a patch increases the window of exposure, compelling organizations to rely on defensive measures and monitoring to mitigate risk. The impact extends beyond individual systems to entire virtualized environments, potentially affecting cloud service providers and data centers operating within Europe, thereby amplifying the threat's scope and severity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should immediately implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict and monitor access to systems handling VHDX files, especially Hyper-V hosts, limiting exposure to untrusted sources. 2) Employ network segmentation to isolate virtualization infrastructure from general user networks and the internet. 3) Utilize application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Disable or restrict automatic mounting or processing of VHDX files from untrusted or external sources. 5) Conduct thorough audits of virtual disk usage and implement strict controls on file uploads and transfers involving VHDX files. 6) Monitor security advisories closely for forthcoming patches and apply them promptly once available. 7) Consider deploying virtual patching via intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that can detect and block exploit attempts targeting this vulnerability. 8) Train IT and security teams to recognize exploitation indicators and respond swiftly to incidents involving virtualization infrastructure.
Affected Countries
Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Belgium
Indicators of Compromise
- exploit-code: # Titles: Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Author: nu11secur1ty # Date: 07/23/2025 # Vendor: Microsoft # Software: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11?r=1 # Reference: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-49683 # Base Score: 7.8 HIGHVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H ## Overview This PowerShell script (`vdh.ps1`) demonstrates a **soft corruption vulnerability** in Windows Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) handling, related to **CVE-2025-49683**. The script performs the following: - Creates a new dynamic VHDX file (virtual disk) of 10MB size. - Mounts the VHDX as a new drive in the system. - Initializes, partitions, and formats the virtual disk with NTFS. - Dismounts the VHDX and applies **soft byte-level corruption** at an 8 KB offset inside the VHDX file. - Re-mounts the corrupted VHDX to observe potential filesystem or mounting errors. - Lists the contents of the corrupted volume to show the impact. - Creates an **immediate restart batch script (`your-salaries.bat`)** inside the mounted volume which forces a system restart when executed. - Offers cleanup options to dismount and delete the corrupted VHDX file. --- ## Purpose This PoC is designed for **security researchers and penetration testers** to: - Understand how minor VHDX file corruptions can lead to system instability or vulnerability exploitation. - Demonstrate how CVE-2025-49683 affects VHDX mounting and usage. - Help develop detection and mitigation strategies for such virtual disk corruption attacks. --- ## Usage Instructions 1. **Run the script in an elevated PowerShell session** (Run as Administrator - The already malicious authorized user): ```powershell .\vdh.ps1 2. The script will: - Create, mount, and format a new VHDX file. - Corrupt the file at the byte level. - Re-mount and attempt to read the volume. - Create a batch file your-salaries.bat inside the mounted drive. 3. To trigger an immediate restart, navigate to the mounted drive (e.g., D:\) and run: ``` your-salaries.bat ``` 4. At script end, press 0 to clean up (dismount and delete the corrupted VHDX), or press any other key to exit and keep the file for further analysis. ### Important Warnings & Considerations - Run only on test or isolated environments. This script creates corruption and forcibly restarts the system via the batch file. Do not run on production or important machines. - Immediate Restart Batch File The your-salaries.bat file triggers an immediate system restart without any warning or confirmation. Be cautious when executing it. - Corruption is simulated and subtle. The corruption at 8 KB offset is a soft corruption intended for demonstration. Real-world attacks could apply more complex modifications. - Impact may vary by OS version and environment. Results depend on Windows version and configuration. Some systems may detect and repair corruption automatically. - Elevated privileges required. Script requires administrative rights to create, mount, initialize, and corrupt VHDX files. ### Technical Details - Corruption offset: 8192 bytes (8 KB) into the VHDX file. - Corruption pattern: Byte sequence [0x00, 0xFF, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF]. - Disk initialization: MBR partition style with a single NTFS partition. - Batch restart command: shutdown /r /t 0 /f to force immediate restart. ### Sample Output ```vbnet [*] Checking for existing VHDX file to avoid conflicts... WARNING: [!] Could not dismount VHDX, maybe not mounted: The path "C:\Users\MicrosoftLoosers\Desktop\CVE-2025-49683\corrupted_test.vhdx" is not the path to a mounted virtual hard disk file. [*] Removed existing VHDX file. [*] Creating new VHDX (Virtual Hard Disk) file... Size: 10 MB Path: C:\Users\MicrosoftLoosers\Desktop\CVE-2025-49683\corrupted_test.vhdx [*] Mounting the new VHDX... [*] Disk initialized and formatted with NTFS. This disk emulates a real drive to test mounting and corruption handling. [*] Drive mounted as E: You can access this drive like a physical hard disk in Windows Explorer. [*] Dismounting the VHDX before applying corruption... [*] Simulating corruption by modifying bytes at offset 8 KB... This models how subtle corruption can affect VHDX file integrity, which may lead to file system errors or crashes when accessed. [+] Corruption successfully applied. Note: This is a soft corruption for testing and demonstration purposes only. [*] Re-mounting the corrupted VHDX to observe effects... [*] Drive letter(s) assigned after corruption: E [*] Listing contents of the mounted drive to detect file system anomalies... [*] Attempting to list contents of drive E:\ ... [*] Created immediate restart batch script: your-salaries.bat Running this batch will force an immediate restart. [*] Script complete. This demo showcases how VHDX file corruption at the byte level can impact system behavior and why patching CVE-2025-49683 is crucial. [*] Press '0' to clean up and remove the corrupted VHDX, or any other key to exit. [*] Cleaning up... [*] VHDX dismounted. [*] Deleted VHDX file. ``` ### License & Disclaimer This script is provided for educational and research purposes only. The author and distributor disclaim all liability for any damage caused by misuse. Use responsibly, and always obtain proper authorization before testing or exploiting vulnerabilities on any system. ### References [CVE-2025-49683]( https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-49683) (Windows VHDX file corruption vulnerability) Microsoft Windows Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) documentation Windows PowerShell documentation # Video: [href](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkEu_AZnzk4) # Source: [href]( https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-mitre/tree/main/2025/CVE-2025-49683) # Buy me a coffee if you are not ashamed: [href](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZPQZT5XMC5RFY) # Source download [href]( https://nu11secur1ty.github.io/DownGit/#/home?url=https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-mitre/tree/main/2025/CVE-2025-49683 ) # Time spent: 05:35:00 -- System Administrator - Infrastructure Engineer Penetration Testing Engineer Exploit developer at https://packetstormsecurity.com/ https://cve.mitre.org/index.html https://cxsecurity.com/ and https://www.exploit-db.com/ 0day Exploit DataBase https://0day.today/ home page: https://www.nu11secur1ty.com/ hiPEnIMR0v7QCo/+SEH9gBclAAYWGnPoBIQ75sCj60E= nu11secur1ty <http://nu11secur1ty.com/> -- System Administrator - Infrastructure Engineer Penetration Testing Engineer Exploit developer at https://packetstorm.news/ https://cve.mitre.org/index.html https://cxsecurity.com/ and https://www.exploit-db.com/ 0day Exploit DataBase https://0day.today/ home page: https://www.nu11secur1ty.com/ hiPEnIMR0v7QCo/+SEH9gBclAAYWGnPoBIQ75sCj60E= nu11secur1ty <http://nu11secur1ty.com/>
Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Description
Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability represents a critical security flaw within the VHDX file handling component of Microsoft systems. VHDX is a disk image file format used primarily by Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization technology to store virtual hard disk data. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely by crafting a malicious VHDX file that, when processed by a vulnerable system, triggers the execution of attacker-controlled code. The exploit leverages flaws in the parsing or processing logic of VHDX files, potentially bypassing security controls and executing code with the privileges of the user or system service handling the VHDX file. The presence of exploit code written in Perl indicates that proof-of-concept or weaponized scripts are available, facilitating exploitation by attackers with moderate technical skills. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the critical severity rating and the nature of the vulnerability suggest that multiple versions of Microsoft Hyper-V or related components that handle VHDX files could be impacted. The lack of patch links implies that a fix may not yet be publicly available, increasing the urgency for organizations to implement mitigations. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond processing the malicious VHDX file, and it can be triggered remotely, significantly increasing the attack surface and risk profile. Given the criticality and the remote code execution capability, this vulnerability poses a severe threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability could have severe consequences, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, enabling attackers to deploy malware, exfiltrate sensitive data, disrupt operations, or move laterally within networks. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and telecommunications, which often utilize virtualization for scalability and cost efficiency, are at heightened risk. The ability to execute code remotely without user interaction makes this vulnerability attractive for widespread exploitation campaigns, potentially leading to ransomware attacks or espionage activities targeting European entities. Additionally, the absence of a patch increases the window of exposure, compelling organizations to rely on defensive measures and monitoring to mitigate risk. The impact extends beyond individual systems to entire virtualized environments, potentially affecting cloud service providers and data centers operating within Europe, thereby amplifying the threat's scope and severity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should immediately implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict and monitor access to systems handling VHDX files, especially Hyper-V hosts, limiting exposure to untrusted sources. 2) Employ network segmentation to isolate virtualization infrastructure from general user networks and the internet. 3) Utilize application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Disable or restrict automatic mounting or processing of VHDX files from untrusted or external sources. 5) Conduct thorough audits of virtual disk usage and implement strict controls on file uploads and transfers involving VHDX files. 6) Monitor security advisories closely for forthcoming patches and apply them promptly once available. 7) Consider deploying virtual patching via intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that can detect and block exploit attempts targeting this vulnerability. 8) Train IT and security teams to recognize exploitation indicators and respond swiftly to incidents involving virtualization infrastructure.
Affected Countries
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Technical Details
- Edb Id
- 52394
- Has Exploit Code
- true
- Code Language
- perl
Indicators of Compromise
Exploit Source Code
Exploit code for Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
# Titles: Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) 11 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Author: nu11secur1ty # Date: 07/23/2025 # Vendor: Microsoft # Software: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11?r=1 # Reference: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-49683 # Base Score: 7.8 HIGHVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H ## Overview This PowerShell script (`vdh.ps1`) demonstrates a **soft corruption vulnerability** in Windows Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) handling, related to *... (6461 more characters)
Threat ID: 68900844ad5a09ad00dd9ded
Added to database: 8/4/2025, 1:09:24 AM
Last enriched: 8/4/2025, 1:09:36 AM
Last updated: 8/5/2025, 11:34:14 PM
Views: 20
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