Detect CVE-2025-62215 Microsoft Windows Race Condition Exploitation in Elastic Security
Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2025-62215, a race condition vulnerability (CWE-362) in Microsoft Windows. This KEV-listed vulnerability can be abused by attackers to gain elevated privileges or execute arbitrary code by winning a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition. Detection focuses on suspicious process creation patterns, handle manipulation, and abnormal thread timing indicative of race condition exploitation.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Privilege Escalation Execution
Elastic Detection Query
sequence by host.name, user.name with maxspan=30s
[process where event.action == "start" and
process.parent.name : ("svchost.exe", "services.exe", "wininit.exe") and
not process.name : ("conhost.exe", "WerFault.exe", "svchost.exe")]
[any where event.category == "file" and
event.action in ("open", "creation") and
file.path : ("C:\\Windows\\System32\\*", "C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\*")]
[process where event.action == "start" and
process.token.integrity_level_name in ("high", "system") and
not process.parent.token.integrity_level_name in ("high", "system")]EQL sequence detection identifying suspicious process chains where a non-privileged child process spawned from a sensitive parent quickly accesses System32 resources and then spawns a high-integrity process — a pattern consistent with CVE-2025-62215 race condition exploitation.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate software update mechanisms that elevate integrity level during installation
- Windows subsystem components that transiently spawn higher-privilege child processes
- System administrators running tools that deliberately operate at multiple integrity levels
- Security products performing code injection or in-process hooking that appears as privilege escalation
Other platforms for CVE-2025-62215
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate Rapid Handle Acquisition on System Process
Expected signal: Windows Security Event Log entries for EventID 4656 (A handle to an object was requested) and 4658 (The handle to an object was closed) appearing in rapid succession for the svchost process, triggering the burst detection threshold.
- Test 2Privilege Escalation Sequence Simulation
Expected signal: EventID 4688 (process creation) followed by EventID 4672 (special privileges assigned to new logon) within seconds, generating the correlated alert pattern.
- Test 3CreateRemoteThread into System Process (Lab Only)
Expected signal: CrowdStrike CreateRemoteThreadV2 event and Windows EventID 4656 for the target process handle, followed by potential Microsoft Defender ATP alert for suspicious cross-process thread creation.
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2025-62215 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.