CVE-2025-27729 — Windows Shell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Executive Summary

Use after free in Windows Shell allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code locally.

Overview

7.8

CVSS HIGH

Important

MS Severity

Not Exploited

MS Exploit Status

Less Likely

MS Exploit Likelihood

Category Remote Code Execution

Released Apr 8 2025

Last Updated Apr 8 2025

Publicly Disclosed No

CISA KEV Not Listed

Known Exploits None Known

EPSS Score 0.00719 — 0.49011 percentile

NVD CVSS 7.8 HIGH — matches MSRC

CVSS Vector

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

ATTACK VECTOR

Local

ATTACK COMPLEXITY

Low

PRIVILEGES REQUIRED

None

USER INTERACTION

Required

SCOPE

Unchanged

CONFIDENTIALITY

High

INTEGRITY

High

AVAILABILITY

High

EXPLOIT CODE MATURITY

Unproven

REMEDIATION LEVEL

Official Fix

REPORT CONFIDENCE

Confirmed

Temporal Score: 6.8

EPSS Score

0.00719

probability of exploitation in the next 30 days

0.49011 percentile - updated 2026-06-21

View on FIRST.org

Affected Products

14 affected products

Product	KB Article	Severity	Impact	Restart Required
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems	`5055518 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems	`5055528 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems	`5055528 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems	`5055528 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems	`5055528 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems	`5055523 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems	`5055523 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2025	`5055523 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)	`5055523 (Security Update)`	Important	Remote Code Execution	Yes

Patches

3 patches

Article	Type	Restart
`5055518`	Security Update	Yes
`5055528`	Security Update	Yes
`5055523`	Security Update	Yes

Known Exploits

No known exploits have been linked for this CVE yet. When available, exploit references will be sourced from public repositories and may be unverified, incomplete, or non-functional. Always review code carefully before use in any environment.

Acknowledgments

Zhiniang Peng with HUST Ver Lewis Lee

References

MSRC Advisory MITRE NVD