April 2025 Patch Tuesday: Critical Updates Released by Microsoft
In its April 2025 Patch Tuesday rollout, Microsoft has addressed 134 security vulnerabilities within its software platforms, including a highly critical zero-day exploit. It is imperative for Windows and Microsoft application users to update their devices with the latest security patches to safeguard against potential threats.
Overview of April 2025 Patch Tuesday Updates
This month’s update notably includes a zero-day vulnerability, which refers to a security issue that is actively exploited or disclosed before a developer provides an official fix. This specific flaw, identified as CVE-2025-29824, relates to an elevation of privilege vulnerability within the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver. Discovered by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, this weakness allowed attackers to acquire SYSTEM-level permissions locally. According to Bleeping Computer’s reports, the RansomEXX ransomware group was found to exploit this particular zero-day.
Microsoft has rolled out a patch for Windows Server and Windows 11, with plans to inform users about forthcoming security updates for both the x64 and 32-bit versions of Windows 10.
The April update encompasses fixes for a range of vulnerabilities: 49 related to privilege escalation, nine concerning security feature bypassing, 31 linked to remote code execution, 17 pertaining to information leaks, 14 denial of service issues, and three spoofing vulnerabilities.
What’s your opinion on this update?
Among the vulnerabilities addressed, 11 related to remote code execution were classified as “critical.” These vulnerabilities were identified across several Microsoft applications, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Remote Desktop Gateway Service, as well as components like Windows Hyper-V, Windows LDAP, and Windows TCP/IP. Additionally, this update includes patches for various vulnerabilities in Mariner and addresses 13 flaws in Microsoft Edge.
What Actions Should Microsoft Users Take?
Typically, Windows and Microsoft security updates are installed automatically. However, users can manually verify their update status by navigating to Start > Settings > Windows Update and selecting Check for Updates. It is advisable to ensure systems are current, especially since Patch Tuesday updates are issued on the second Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. PT.
