A critical elevation of privilege vulnerability has been identified in the Windows Task Scheduler service, tracked as CVE-2025-33067.
Officially published on June 10, 2025, by Microsoft as the assigning CNA (CVE Numbering Authority), this flaw allows attackers to potentially gain elevated privileges on affected systems, bypassing normal user restrictions and compromising the integrity of the operating system.
The vulnerability is classified as an “Important” severity issue under Microsoft’s rating system, but its real-world impact could be significant if exploited in targeted attacks.
The root cause of the vulnerability is attributed to CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
This weakness occurs when the software does not properly restrict, assign, or manage privileges, allowing attackers to perform actions outside their intended level of authority.
In the case of CVE-2025-33067, the flaw is present in the Windows Task Scheduler, a core component responsible for launching automated tasks at predefined times or in response to specified events.
Technical Details and Exploitation
The vulnerability leverages a weakness in how the Windows Task Scheduler handles task creation and execution.
Exploitation requires local access to the target system, meaning an attacker must already have some level of user privileges on the machine.
However, once exploited, the flaw allows an attacker to elevate their privileges to the highest level, typically SYSTEM, granting them complete control over the affected device.
The CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) vector string for CVE-2025-33067 is:CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:Ctext{CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C}CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
This vector translates to:
- Attack Vector (AV): Local (L)
- Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L)
- Privileges Required (PR): None (N) — though in practical scenarios, some initial access is typically needed
- User Interaction (UI): None (N)
- Scope (S): Unchanged (U)
- Confidentiality (C), Integrity (I), Availability (A): High (H)
- Exploit Code Maturity (E): Unproven (U)
- Remediation Level (RL): Official Fix (O)
- Report Confidence (RC): Confirmed (C)
The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.4, with a temporal score of 7.3, reflecting both the high potential impact and the availability of an official patch from Microsoft.
The high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts underscore the risk: attackers who exploit this flaw could access sensitive data, modify system settings, and disrupt critical services.
Risk Factors and Mitigation
The following table summarizes the key risk factors associated with CVE-2025-33067:
| Risk Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Exploit Prerequisites | Local access to the system required |
| Privilege Escalation | Elevation to SYSTEM privileges possible |
| Impact | High confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact |
| Exploitability | Low complexity; no user interaction needed |
| Patch Availability | Official patch released by Microsoft |
| Public Exploits | No evidence of active exploitation at this time |
Microsoft has released security updates addressing this vulnerability as part of its June 2025 Patch Tuesday cycle.
Organizations and users are strongly advised to apply the latest Windows updates immediately to mitigate the risk.
In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators should consider restricting local user privileges and monitoring for suspicious activity involving the Task Scheduler service.
Broader Context and Ongoing Security Challenges
Elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2025-33067, are particularly concerning because they can be chained with other exploits to achieve full system compromise.
This vulnerability joins a growing list of critical flaws patched in Microsoft’s June 2025 security updates, including privilege escalation and remote code execution bugs in services like Windows SMB, Remote Desktop Services, and SharePoint.
The sheer volume and diversity of vulnerabilities highlight the ongoing challenges in securing complex enterprise environments.
Security teams should prioritize vulnerability management, leveraging tools that support automated patch deployment and continuous monitoring.
Additionally, organizations should adopt the principle of least privilege, ensuring users and services operate with only the permissions necessary for their roles.
This approach can significantly reduce the attack surface and limit the potential impact of privilege escalation vulnerabilities.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, staying informed about newly disclosed vulnerabilities and maintaining a proactive security posture are essential for protecting critical systems and data.
CVE-2025-33067 serves as a timely reminder of the importance of timely patching and robust access controls in the face of persistent and sophisticated adversaries.
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