Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on April 17, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.
What the vulnerability is
CVE-2025-24054 is a spoofing vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows NTLM. The flaw stems from an external control of file name or path (CWE-73), which could allow an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing operations over a network. On April 17, 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating that it is being actively exploited in the wild.
Exposure and applicability
This vulnerability is highly relevant to U.S. healthcare providers, health plans, and business associates due to the widespread use of Windows operating systems across administrative workstations, electronic health record (EHR) interfaces, and backend servers. Because NTLM is a core authentication protocol, a spoofing vulnerability could potentially be used to intercept or manipulate credentials, increasing the risk of unauthorized access to systems containing electronic protected health information (ePHI).
Healthcare organizations should evaluate their exposure based on where Windows systems are deployed and the extent to which NTLM is utilized for network authentication. While CISA has set a remediation deadline of May 8, 2025, for federal agencies, this date serves as a critical indicator of urgency for private healthcare entities managing HIPAA Security Rule risk assessments.
Remediation priorities
Based on our analysis, we recommend the following prioritized actions to reduce the likelihood of exploitation:
- Apply Vendor Updates: The primary defense is to apply the security updates provided by Microsoft. This addresses the root cause of the external control of file name or path vulnerability.
- Review NTLM Configuration: Security leaders should evaluate their current reliance on NTLM and consider transitioning toward more secure authentication protocols where clinically and operationally feasible.
- Network Segmentation: To limit potential damage, clinical engineering and IT teams should ensure that critical medical devices and ePHI databases are segmented from general-purpose workstations to reduce the network reach of a spoofing attack.
How to validate remediation
To verify that exposure has been reduced, organizations can employ the following methods:
- Patch Verification: System administrators can use authorized software inventory tools or Windows Update logs to confirm that the specific security update addressing CVE-2025-24054 has been successfully deployed across all applicable endpoints.
- Configuration Audit: Security teams can review group policy settings to verify if NTLM restrictions have been implemented as part of a broader hardening strategy.
Note: Patching and configuration checks are intended to reduce the attack surface; they do not provide an absolute guarantee against all forms of network-based attacks.
Limits and open questions
It remains unknown whether this vulnerability has been utilized in specific ransomware campaigns. Additionally, while the mechanism of the spoofing flaw is identified as CWE-73, the full scope of potential downstream impacts on diverse healthcare software ecosystems depends on how individual applications interact with NTLM.
Organizations should coordinate any changes to authentication protocols or network configurations with clinical engineering and vendor guidance to ensure that patient care continuity and medical device functionality are not disrupted.
Source and editorial note
CVE-2025-24054: Microsoft Windows NTLM Hash Disclosure Spoofing Vulnerability · Source date: April 17, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.
Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.
Archive date: April 20, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: October 14, 2026 at 01:11 UTC.
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