Windows File Explorer NTLM Hash Leakage / Spoofing Bypass
CVE-2025-59214 is a Windows File Explorer vulnerability described by Microsoft as an exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor that allows spoofing over a network. Based on the provided content, the issue is associated with File Explorer previewing internet-downloaded files marked with Mark of the Web (MotW). A crafted file containing HTML-like tags such as <link> or <src> that reference attacker-controlled external paths can cause Windows to initiate outbound authentication, leaking NTLM credential material over the network. The content indicates this issue is part of a bypass chain: CVE-2025-59214 bypasses the fix for CVE-2025-50154, which itself bypassed the earlier CVE-2025-24054 zero-click NTLM leakage issue. Microsoft’s October 2025 mitigation disables File Explorer preview-pane rendering for MotW-tagged files to prevent this credential leakage path.
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Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
2 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Windows File Explorer spoofing issue referenced in the context of preventing NTLM credential leakage / sensitive information leakage over the network.
A Windows File Explorer issue (described as a spoofing issue) that can be leveraged to leak sensitive information (NTLM credentials/hashes) over the network, apparently via preview-related behavior and external path references.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.