Microsoft Patch Tuesday December 2025 Security Updates
- Microsoft today released updates to address at least 56 security vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and related software.
- Despite a lower volume of updates in recent months, Microsoft patched a total of 1,129 vulnerabilities throughout 2025 - an 11.9% increase compared to 2024.
- The zero-day flaw, identified as CVE-2025-62221, is a privilege escalation vulnerability impacting Windows 10 and later.
Okay, here’s a draft article based on the provided text, adhering to all the specified requirements (E-E-A-T, components, self-check). I’ve focused on clarity, conciseness, and Google News friendliness.
Microsoft Patches 56 Security Flaws, Including Zero-Day – December 2025 Patch Tuesday
Table of Contents
Microsoft today released updates to address at least 56 security vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and related software. This final Patch Tuesday of 2025 includes a fix for a zero-day vulnerability currently being exploited,alongside two publicly disclosed vulnerabilities.
Despite a lower volume of updates in recent months, Microsoft patched a total of 1,129 vulnerabilities throughout 2025 – an 11.9% increase compared to 2024. According to satnam Narang at Tenable, this marks the second consecutive year exceeding one thousand patched vulnerabilities, and only the third time in the company’s history.
Zero-Day vulnerability Details
The zero-day flaw, identified as CVE-2025-62221, is a privilege escalation vulnerability impacting Windows 10 and later. It resides within the “Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver,” a crucial system driver enabling cloud applications to interact with the file system.
Adam Barnett, lead software engineer at Rapid7, emphasized the meaning of this vulnerability: “This is especially concerning, as the mini filter is integral to services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud, and remains a core Windows component, even if none of those apps were installed.”
Critical Vulnerabilities
Three vulnerabilities received Microsoft’s “critical” severity rating. CVE-2025-62554 and CVE-2025-62557 both affect Microsoft Office and can be exploited simply by viewing a malicious email in the Preview Pane. CVE-2025-62562 impacts Microsoft Outlook, but Microsoft states the Preview Pane is *not* an attack vector for this specific vulnerability.
Other Notable Vulnerabilities
Microsoft identifies privilege escalation bugs as the most likely to be exploited this month. Key vulnerabilities include:
| CVE ID | Component |
|---|---|
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