Adobe and Microsoft Patch Major Vulnerabilities in September 2025: RCE, Privilege Escalation, and Disclosure Risks
Adobe and Microsoft released substantial security updates in September 2025, addressing dozens of critical and high-severity vulnerabilities across widely used products and platforms. These vulnerabilities include risks such as remote code execution, privilege escalation, and information disclosure that could be leveraged for significant cyberattacks if unpatched.
Adobe: Extensive Multiplatform Patch Coverage
Adobe’s September Patch Tuesday included the release of patches for nearly two dozen vulnerabilities spanning nine core products. The company prioritized fixing flaws that would allow attackers to achieve remote code execution, escalate privileges, access sensitive information, or tamper with crucial configuration settings. The spectrum of risk affects creative and productivity toolchains, and users are encouraged to update immediately to prevent exploitation.
Microsoft: 80 Flaws Addressed, Including High-Impact SMB and NTFS Bugs
Microsoft patched 80 vulnerabilities this cycle, with eight rated critical and 72 rated important. Major issues include:
- CVE-2025-55234: A privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Marked as “publicly known”, this flaw has a CVSS score of 8.8 and carries significant risk if leveraged for lateral movement in corporate networks.
- CVE-2025-54918: An elevation of privilege issue in Windows NTLM. This is the third significant NTLM flaw this year, with exploitation marked as “more likely,” allowing attackers SYSTEM-level access if successful.
- CVE-2025-54916: A remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows New Technology File System (NTFS). This marks only the second NTFS RCE vulnerability in three years and can be exploited by any authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a target system.
- Additional patches cover dozen of other bugs related to privilege escalation (the majority this round), remote code execution, and information disclosure.
Edge Browser and Chromium-Related Vulnerabilities
Separate from the core Windows platform, Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser has received 12 additional fixes since August, including a notable security bypass bug tracked as CVE-2025-53791. This bug, now patched in Edge version 140.0.3485.54, could have allowed threat actors to defeat security boundaries in web-based attack scenarios.
Rising Trend: Privilege Escalation as Primary Threat
Analysis of this month’s patch set highlights a growing trend: almost half of all vulnerabilities disclosed are related to privilege escalation, underscoring the ongoing arms race between attackers and defenders for higher footholds within compromised environments. These flaws, if unaddressed, provide adversaries with wider system or administrative access in breached organizations.
Two Android Zero-Day Exploits Identified in September 2025 Security Bulletin
Google’s September 2025 Android security bulletin reveals that two distinct vulnerabilities—CVE-2025-38352 and a second unnamed issue—are currently under active exploitation. These zero-day threats pose serious risks to Android users worldwide, potentially allowing remote attackers unprecedented access or control over devices running affected versions of the operating system.
Technical Overview of the Zero-Day Exploits
The first vulnerability, CVE-2025-38352, has not been fully detailed in public advisories but is confirmed by Google to be exploited in the wild. Attackers are using tailored exploits to target this flaw, which may enable unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or remote code execution depending on the device configuration and user permissions.
The second issue remains undisclosed in terms of technical details, but its active exploitation status highlights the urgency of patch deployment. Users are again urged to update their Android devices promptly via over-the-air updates from carriers and manufacturers, given the rapid exploitation community around Android platform weaknesses.
Patch Distribution and Ecosystem Impact
Android security updates are distributed according to vendor or carrier policies, potentially delaying critical fixes reaching end users. This lag introduces a window of heightened risk during periods of known exploitation. As such, the Android security bulletin recommends vigilance in applying updates and monitoring digital hygiene, especially for enterprise fleet managers and organizations with high Android device penetration.
Generative AI Fuels New Phishing Campaigns in Late 2025
The fall of 2025 marks a notable increase in the sophistication of phishing campaigns, now turbocharged by generative artificial intelligence (genAI). Attackers are leveraging genAI to construct more convincing and contextually nuanced emails, resulting in higher credential theft and financial fraud success rates.
Technical Features of genAI-Powered Phishing
GenAI allows threat actors to automate the creation of entire email threads that imitate ongoing business communications. Unlike past phishing tactics which relied on single-message lures riddled with grammatical errors, current campaigns produce multi-message conversations nearly indistinguishable from legitimate internal or external correspondence. This includes:
- Identically styled email signatures and formatting matching corporate templates.
- Context-aware references to actual business events, using scraped or purchased information to boost credibility.
- Realistic dialog involving invoice processing, IT helpdesk requests, or credential resets, designed to induce urgency or action.
Increased Bypass of Security Awareness Training
Traditional user education and awareness defenses are increasingly challenged by the adaptive and natural tone of genAI-generated content. Emails reference specific organizational personnel, use appropriate industry jargon, and can convincingly mimic previous real interactions with vendors or customers.
Defensive Strategies and Enterprise Implications
Security teams must now consider additional controls, such as automated anomaly detection based on writing style, message timing, and content patterns. Layered technical controls, mandatory two-factor authentication, and continuous staff retraining with simulated, AI-driven phishing scenarios remain essential to counter rapidly evolving threat tactics.