Microsoft has released a significant update today, addressing 56 security vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and supported software. This final Patch Tuesday of 2025 is particularly noteworthy as it tackles a zero-day exploit currently being utilized in the wild, alongside two vulnerabilities that have been made public.
Security Vulnerabilities Overview
Despite a relatively lower volume of security updates in recent months, Microsoft has managed to patch an impressive total of 1,129 vulnerabilities throughout 2025, marking an 11.9% increase compared to the previous year. According to Satnam Narang from Tenable, this year represents the second consecutive instance of Microsoft addressing over a thousand vulnerabilities, a feat achieved only three times since the company’s inception.
Among the vulnerabilities patched today, the zero-day flaw identified as CVE-2025-62221 stands out. This privilege escalation vulnerability impacts Windows 10 and later versions, residing within the “Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver.” This driver is essential for enabling cloud applications to interact with file system functionalities.
Adam Barnett, lead software engineer at Rapid7, expressed concern over this vulnerability, noting its significance due to its integral role in services such as OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud, which remain core components of Windows even if those applications are not installed.
Critical Vulnerabilities and Exploitation Risks
Out of the vulnerabilities addressed, three have been classified with Microsoft’s highest “critical” rating. The flaws CVE-2025-62554 and CVE-2025-62557 pertain to Microsoft Office and can be exploited simply by viewing a malicious email in the Preview Pane. Another critical issue, CVE-2025-62562, relates to Microsoft Outlook, although Microsoft has indicated that the Preview Pane is not a potential attack vector for this particular flaw.
However, Microsoft has identified several non-critical privilege escalation vulnerabilities as the most likely to be exploited from this month’s patch batch, including:
- CVE-2025-62458 — Win32k
- CVE-2025-62470 — Windows Common Log File System Driver
- CVE-2025-62472 — Windows Remote Access Connection Manager
- CVE-2025-59516 — Windows Storage VSP Driver
- CVE-2025-59517 — Windows Storage VSP Driver
Kev Breen, senior director of threat research at Immersive, noted that privilege escalation flaws are commonly seen in incidents involving host compromises. He remarked, “While we don’t know why Microsoft has specifically marked these as more likely to be exploited, many of these components have historically been targeted or have enough technical detail available that they could be weaponized by threat actors.” Breen emphasized the importance of addressing these vulnerabilities promptly, even if they are not currently being exploited.
Noteworthy Vulnerabilities and Broader Implications
Another intriguing vulnerability patched this month is CVE-2025-64671, a remote code execution flaw found in the Github Copilot Plugin for Jetbrains. This AI-based coding assistant, utilized by both Microsoft and GitHub, could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the large language model (LLM) into executing commands that circumvent its safeguards.
This particular flaw is part of a larger security concern that researcher Ari Marzuk has termed “IDEsaster,” which encompasses over 30 vulnerabilities reported across various leading AI coding platforms, including Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, and Claude Code.
Additionally, the other publicly disclosed vulnerability addressed today is CVE-2025-54100, a remote code execution bug in Windows Powershell affecting Windows Server 2008 and later, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute code within the security context of the user.
For those interested in a detailed analysis of the security updates released today, the SANS Internet Storm Center offers a comprehensive roundup. Users are encouraged to share their experiences in the comments if they encounter any issues while applying this month’s Windows patches.
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, December 2025 Edition
Microsoft has released a significant update today, addressing 56 security vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and supported software. This final Patch Tuesday of 2025 is particularly noteworthy as it tackles a zero-day exploit currently being utilized in the wild, alongside two vulnerabilities that have been made public.
Security Vulnerabilities Overview
Despite a relatively lower volume of security updates in recent months, Microsoft has managed to patch an impressive total of 1,129 vulnerabilities throughout 2025, marking an 11.9% increase compared to the previous year. According to Satnam Narang from Tenable, this year represents the second consecutive instance of Microsoft addressing over a thousand vulnerabilities, a feat achieved only three times since the company’s inception.
Among the vulnerabilities patched today, the zero-day flaw identified as CVE-2025-62221 stands out. This privilege escalation vulnerability impacts Windows 10 and later versions, residing within the “Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver.” This driver is essential for enabling cloud applications to interact with file system functionalities.
Adam Barnett, lead software engineer at Rapid7, expressed concern over this vulnerability, noting its significance due to its integral role in services such as OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud, which remain core components of Windows even if those applications are not installed.
Critical Vulnerabilities and Exploitation Risks
Out of the vulnerabilities addressed, three have been classified with Microsoft’s highest “critical” rating. The flaws CVE-2025-62554 and CVE-2025-62557 pertain to Microsoft Office and can be exploited simply by viewing a malicious email in the Preview Pane. Another critical issue, CVE-2025-62562, relates to Microsoft Outlook, although Microsoft has indicated that the Preview Pane is not a potential attack vector for this particular flaw.
However, Microsoft has identified several non-critical privilege escalation vulnerabilities as the most likely to be exploited from this month’s patch batch, including:
Kev Breen, senior director of threat research at Immersive, noted that privilege escalation flaws are commonly seen in incidents involving host compromises. He remarked, “While we don’t know why Microsoft has specifically marked these as more likely to be exploited, many of these components have historically been targeted or have enough technical detail available that they could be weaponized by threat actors.” Breen emphasized the importance of addressing these vulnerabilities promptly, even if they are not currently being exploited.
Noteworthy Vulnerabilities and Broader Implications
Another intriguing vulnerability patched this month is CVE-2025-64671, a remote code execution flaw found in the Github Copilot Plugin for Jetbrains. This AI-based coding assistant, utilized by both Microsoft and GitHub, could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the large language model (LLM) into executing commands that circumvent its safeguards.
This particular flaw is part of a larger security concern that researcher Ari Marzuk has termed “IDEsaster,” which encompasses over 30 vulnerabilities reported across various leading AI coding platforms, including Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, and Claude Code.
Additionally, the other publicly disclosed vulnerability addressed today is CVE-2025-54100, a remote code execution bug in Windows Powershell affecting Windows Server 2008 and later, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute code within the security context of the user.
For those interested in a detailed analysis of the security updates released today, the SANS Internet Storm Center offers a comprehensive roundup. Users are encouraged to share their experiences in the comments if they encounter any issues while applying this month’s Windows patches.