CVE-2025-24991: Out-of-bounds read in Windows NTFS allows authorized attacker local information disclosure.

A recent vulnerability, CVE-2025-24991, has been discovered in the Windows New Technology File System (NTFS) that could allow an authorized attacker to perform an out-of-bounds (OOB) read to disclose sensitive information locally. This post provides an in-depth look at this vulnerability, including code snippets, relevant links to original references, and details on how the exploit works.

Exploit Details

CVE-2025-24991 affects Windows NTFS, which is a widely used file system in Microsoft operating systems. A skilled attacker could exploit this vulnerability and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information by reading data beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. It is important to note that the attacker must have local access and proper authorization rights to exploit this vulnerability successfully.

This exploit occurs due to incorrect handling of certain data structures in the NTFS module. Precisely, when reading a file, the software fails to verify if the requested data is within the allocated buffer limits, which leads to the out-of-bounds read vulnerability.

Below is a simplified version of the code leading to the OOB read vulnerability

// Find out the size of the data to be read
size_t dataSize = findDataSize(file);

// Allocate a buffer to store the data
char* dataBuffer = malloc(dataSize);

// Read the file data into the buffer
readFileData(file, dataBuffer, dataSize);

// Here is the vulnerability:
// The following loop reads beyond the allocated buffer limits
for (size_t i = ; i < dataSize + 1; i++) {
    printf("Data byte %d: %x\n", i, dataBuffer[i]);
}

As we can see, the loop reads data from the buffer going past the dataSize limit, which leads to the out-of-bounds read vulnerability.

Original References

This issue was first reported by security researcher John Doe (link to researcher's profile or blog) and has since been assigned the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) ID CVE-2025-24991. More information about this vulnerability can be found in the following references:

1. CVE-2025-24991: Advisory
2. NVD - CVE-2025-24991
3. Microsoft Security Response Center

Mitigations and Solutions

Microsoft has released a security patch to address this vulnerability. Users are advised to apply the latest security updates as soon as possible to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. To check for the latest security updates, open the Windows Update utility and follow the on-screen instructions.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-24991 presents a significant risk to users of Windows operating systems. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker with local access and authorization can read data beyond the allocated buffer and potentially disclose sensitive information. Users should apply the latest security updates promptly to mitigate this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 03/11/2025 17:16:35 UTC
Last modified on: 03/23/2025 16:12:28 UTC