Privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows Hardware Lab Kit

1) Use of hard-coded credentials

EUVDB-ID: #VU109250

Risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2025-27488

CWE-ID: CWE-798 - Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to presence of hard-coded credentials in application code. A local user can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows Version 1809: before 10.1.17763.7010

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows 10: before 10.1.19041.5609

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows 11: before 10.1.22621.5040

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows Server 2019: before 10.1.17763.7010

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows Server 2022: before 10.1.20348.3330

Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows Server 2025: before 10.1.26100.3478

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_version_1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_server_2019:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_server_2022:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:hardware_lab_kit_hlk_for_windows_server_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

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

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.