Microsoft November 2025 Patch Tuesday: Urgent Zero-Day and Critical Vulnerabilities
Microsoft released its November 2025 Patch Tuesday updates, addressing 63 vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Azure, Visual Studio, and more. The headline is a Windows Kernel zero-day elevation-of-privilege flaw that has already been exploited, plus several critical remote code execution bugs enabling attackers to compromise devices and networks. Organizations using Microsoft products are urged to deploy these patches without delay.
Zero-Day Vulnerability: CVE-2025-62215
The most urgent fix is for CVE-2025-62215, a Windows Kernel elevation-of-privilege vulnerability actively exploited in the wild. This race condition enables attackers to escalate from standard user rights to full administrative control once they’ve obtained initial access. When chained with other attack vectors, it can facilitate installation of malware, data theft, and post-exploitation persistence. Defensive measures require immediate patching, but the underlying design flaw necessitates ongoing vigilance for privilege escalation risks.
Remote Code Execution: Office, DirectX, and GDI+ Components
Multiple critical remote code execution (RCE) flaws affect Microsoft Office, DirectX, and the GDI+ graphics subsystem. Notable examples include:
- CVE-2025-62199 (Office): A use-after-free bug lets attackers execute code through malicious documents, posing severe risk to endpoint clients and servers.
- CVE-2025-60716 (DirectX): A vulnerability permitting local privilege escalation by exploiting memory safety errors in the DirectX codebase.
- CVE-2025-60724 (GDI+): A heap-based buffer overflow with a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, enabling network-based attackers to execute arbitrary code on remote systems by leveraging graphics-handling flaws.
Attackers can weaponize these vulnerabilities by convincing victims to open crafted files or transmitting malformed data over targeted protocols. Defensive approaches include rigorous patch management, disabling unnecessary services, and deploying intrusion detection solutions capable of scrutinizing file and memory operations.
Additional Vulnerabilities: Privilege Escalation, Information Disclosure, and Network Risks
The patch release includes dozens of privilege escalation flaws, several in foundational areas like Windows Smart Card, Kerberos authentication, and networking drivers (WinSock). These flaws often involve memory mismanagement (double free, untrusted pointer dereference) and cryptographic lapses, which can aid lateral movement in compromised environments.
Information disclosure vulnerabilities impact components such as Windows Speech Recognition, Licensing, and SQL Server, where sensitive data can be exposed through improper input handling or insufficient log management. Issues like SQL injection and command injection are present in patched products, emphasizing the need for database hardening and network traffic scrutiny.
Cloud and SaaS Patches: Azure and Dynamics 365
Azure’s Monitor Agent receives fixes for local RCE via buffer overflows, while Dynamics 365 is patched against XSS spoofing weaknesses. These highlight the cross-ecosystem security challenge for organizations using both cloud and on-premises Microsoft infrastructure. Strict access controls and ongoing vulnerability scanning are recommended to limit SaaS applications’ risks.
Other Vendor and Product Security Updates
Vendors outside Microsoft also issued critical patches in this cycle. Key security-related events include:
- Mozilla Firefox released updates that address multiple vulnerabilities enabling arbitrary code execution when users visit malicious sites or open crafted media files.
- Ivanti Endpoint Manager patched flaws permitting attackers to write arbitrary files to disk, posing data integrity and compromise risks in enterprise environments.
- Synology BeeStation resolved a 0-day vulnerability enabling remote attackers to execute code, a risk for network-attached storage deployments.
- Zoom addressed vulnerabilities that allowed unauthorized users to bypass access controls and retrieve session data, which is critical for organizations reliant on secure remote communications.
- SAP issued updates closing critical code execution and injection threats, signaling the importance of patching business management applications with complex access models and integration endpoints.
The diversity in attack techniques—from memory corruption and privilege escalation to spoofing and cross-site scripting—requires a robust, multi-layered security posture, incorporating routine updates, security awareness training, and targeted defensive controls.