Here is a summary of the original Petri article on the Windows 11 'inetpub' folder security risk:
What happened?
After the April 2025 Patch Tuesday update, a new "inetpub" folder started appearing on Windows 10 and 11 machines.
Microsoft created this folder to help patch a bug (CVE-2025-21204)...
admin tips
administrative permissions
cve-2025-21204
cyberattack prevention
cybersecurity
cybersecurity best practices
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunctions
endpoint protection
file system security
folder permissions
inetpub folder
insider threat
it protection
it security
junction points
local user exploit
malware exploitation
malware risk
microsoft april 2025 update
microsoft patch
microsoft security
microsoft updates
microsoft windows
operating system security
permission hardening
permissions hardening
security alerts
security mitigation
security patch
security researcher
security vulnerabilities
security vulnerability
security workaround
symbolic link exploit
symbolic links
symlink exploitation
symlink vulnerability
symlinks
sysadmin guide
sysadmin tips
system integrity
system patching
system permissions
system protection
system security
system update bypass
system update security
system vulnerabilities
system vulnerability
update security
windows 10
windows 11
windows defender
windows folder permissions
windows iis
windows patch
windows security
windows security patch
windows security risk
windows security update
windows servicing stack
windows system administration
windows system folder
windows system risks
windows update
windows update fix
windows update management
windows update security
windows update vulnerability
windows updates
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerability
The Mysterious “inetpub” Folder: An Unexpected Windows 11 Quirk
Windows 11 users have recently encountered an unexpected twist following the cumulative update KB5055523—a seemingly innocuous yet puzzling folder named “inetpub” appearing on the C drive. This odd discovery, highlighted by multiple...
access controls
administration tips
administrator guide
april 2025 update
april 24h2 update
april update
computer security
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
defense in depth
denial of service
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunction exploit
directoryjunctions
end-user security
endpoint security
exploit mitigation
exploitprevention
file permissions
file system security
filesystem junctions
filesystem permissions
filesystem security
filesystemsecurity
firewall management
folder permissions
folder restoration
human error prevention
iis
inetpub
inetpub folder
internet information services
it administration
it administrator
it best practices
it management
it security
it security tips
itadministration
junction exploit
junction points
kb5055523
local attack vectors
local exploit
local exploits
local privilege escalation
local user rights
malicious exploits
malware prevention
malware protection
microsoft
microsoft iis
microsoft patch
microsoft patches
microsoft security
microsoft security patch
microsoft update
microsoft updates
microsoft windows
microsoftpatch
network security
ntfs junctions
ntfs security
operating system
operating system security
os security
patch management
permission best practices
permission hardening
permission management
permission restrictions
privilege escalation
privilegeescalation
safe zone
secure file handling
secure system configuration
security
security architecture
security awareness
security best practices
security exploit
security fix
security mitigation
security patch
security patches
security research
security update
security updates
security vulnerabilities
security vulnerability
securityawareness
securitypatch
servicing stack
software security
software updates
symbolic link attack
symbolic link vulnerability
symbolic links
symboliclinks
symlink attack
symlink exploitation
symlink exploits
symlink manipulation
symlink vulnerability
symlinks vulnerability
sysadmin guide
sysadmin tips
system administration
system configuration
system files
system folder
system folder management
system folders
system hardening
system integrity
system maintenance
system management
system patch
system permissions
system protection
system restore
system security
system update
system update troubleshooting
system vulnerabilities
system vulnerability
systemprotection
systemsecurity
tech community
tech news
technews
update best practices
update failure
update integrity
update management
update mitigation
update troubleshooting
update vulnerability
updatefeatures
user education
user guidance
virus exploitation
vulnerability
vulnerability fix
vulnerability mitigation
web server
windows
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 april 2025
windows 11 april update
windows 11 patch
windows 11 security
windows 11 update
windows 2025 update
windows administration
windows administrator
windows april 2025 update
windows community
windows configuration
windows defender
windows exploits
windows features
windows filesystem
windows filesystem security
windows folder
windows folder management
windows folder permissions
windows forums
windows iis
windows it
windows malware
windows patch
windows patch management
windows permissions
windows security
windows security fix
windows security patch
windows security patches
windows security strategy
windows security tips
windows security update
windows servicing stack
windows support
windows system
windows system folder
windows system folders
windows system management
windows system update
windows tips
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows update fix
windows update sabotage
windows update security
windows updates
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerability
windows11
windowsexplained
windowsfolder
windowssecurity
windowstips
windowsupdate
Microsoft's recent April 2025 Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11—specifically update KB5055523—introduced an unexpected yet purposeful change that has stirred curiosity and concern among users and IT professionals alike: the mysterious creation of an empty folder named inetpub on the system...
administrator tips
april 2025 update
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
denial of service
directoryjunction
endpoint security
file system security
filesystem security
folder permissions
forced folder creation
iis
inetpub
inetpub folder
injury on patch
it security
it security best practices
junction hijacking
junction points
kb5055523
local privilege escalation
malware prevention
microsoft patch
microsoft security
microsoft update
os patching
os security measures
patch tuesday
privilege escalation
security best practices
security mitigation
security patch
security research
security risks
security update
security workaround
symbolic links
symlink attack
symlink exploitation
symlink vulnerability
system administration
system folder
system folders
system integrity
system maintenance
system protection
system safety
system security
system security best practices
system security patch
system vulnerabilities
update management
update security
windows 11
windows 11 update
windows filesystem
windows firewall
windows folders
windows os
windows security
windows security awareness
windows security vulnerability
windows system administration
windows system folders
windows system management
windows system update
windows update
windows updates troubleshooting
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerability
Microsoft's April 2025 cumulative Windows update, notably identified as KB5055523 for Windows 11 24H2, has stirred significant discussion in the tech community due to an unexpected and somewhat mysterious change: the automatic creation of an empty folder named "inetpub" on the system drive...
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunctions
filesystem security
inetpub folder
it security
local privilege escalation
microsoft security
security best practices
security mitigation
security patch
security research
symbolic links
symlink vulnerability
sysadmin tips
system administration
system folder
system patching
system security
system vulnerabilities
update management
web server security
windows 11
windows 11 updates
windows defender
windows iis
windows patch
windows security
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerabilities mitigation
The inetpub folder, a long-standing directory associated with Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS), has recently become a focus of security attention in Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems following the April 2025 cumulative updates. This seemingly innocuous, often empty folder, now...
cve-2025-21204
directoryjunction
file system security
inetpub folder
it administration
microsoft updates
permission hardening
privilege escalation
security best practices
security vulnerabilities
servicing stack
symlink exploits
system permissions
system security
update integrity
windows 10
windows 11
windows patch
windows security
windows update
Windows updates continue to keep IT professionals and enthusiasts on their toes. The latest April 2025 cumulative update for Windows 11 (KB5055523) and Windows 10 (KB5055518) has introduced a curious new quirk: an empty “inetpub” folder appearing in the root of the C: drive, even on systems...
april 2025 update
cve-2025-21204
cyber defense
cyber threat
cybersecurity
cybersecurity threat
denial of service
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunctions
enterprise security
exploit prevention
filesystem security
inetpub
inetpub folder
it administration
it management
it security
junction attacks
junction point
junction points
kb5055518
kb5055523
malware prevention
microsoft kb5055523
microsoft security
microsoft security advice
microsoft security patch
microsoft update
microsoft updates
mklink command
operating system security
patch management
patch rollback
patch tuesday
patch tuesday 2025
privilege escalation
security best practices
security fix
security mitigation
security patch
security patches
security risks
security vulnerabilities
security vulnerability
symbolic links
symlink attack
symlink exploit
symlink exploits
symlink security
sysadmin guidance
sysadmin tips
system administration
system administrator
system folder management
system folder protection
system folder restoration
system integrity
system patch
system security
system security features
system update
system vulnerabilities
tech news
theory and practice
update mitigation
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 security risks
windows 11 update
windows defender
windows filesystem
windows folder management
windows iis
windows patch management
windows process activation
windows security
windows security features
windows security patch
windows security update
windows system folders
windows system32
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows update issues
windows updates 2025
windows vulnerabilities
Microsoft’s recent Windows update released in April 2025 has introduced an unexpected and somewhat controversial element to the Windows file system: an empty folder named "inetpub" appearing on many user systems. This update, part of Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 10 cumulative patches (notably...
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity alerts
directory hijacking
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunctions
filesystem security
inetpub folder
it administration
it security news
microsoft patch
microsoft updates
mklink utility
patch management
security patch
security patches
security researcher
security vulnerability
symlink attack
symlink security
system administration
system folder security
system security
system security best practices
update risks
windows 10
windows 11
windows 2025 update
windows iis
windows process activation
windows security
windows system files
windows system folders
windows update
windows update patch
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerabilities mitigation
The creation of the inetpub folder on Windows systems by the April 2025 cumulative update has sparked significant discussion in the Windows community for its dual role as a security measure and a potential vulnerability. Historically, the "C:\inetpub" directory is tied to Microsoft's Internet...
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
directoryjunction
file system security
filesystem permissions
iis folder
inetpub folder
it administration
it administrator tips
it best practices
it security
junction creation
junction exploits
junction point attack
junction point exploit
junction points
microsoft patches
microsoft updates
privilege escalation
reparse points
safeguarding windows
security awareness
security best practices
security hardening
security mitigation
security patch
security patches
security vulnerabilities
server security
symbolic link vulnerability
symbolic links
symlink exploitation
system folders
system hardening
system permissions
system security
system update
system vulnerabilities
update management
update staging
windows 11
windows 11 update
windows administrative tips
windows defender
windows folder permissions
windows iis
windows patch
windows privacy
windows protection
windows security
windows security vulnerability
windows system files
windows system folder
windows system folders
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows updates
windows vulnerabilities
The recent emergence of the "inetpub" folder in Windows 11 systems has stirred a mix of curiosity and concern among users and IT professionals alike. Introduced as part of Microsoft's April 2025 cumulative update, this seemingly innocuous, empty directory located at the root of the system drive...
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
defense in depth
digital rights management
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunction attack
filesystem security
folder permissions
folder permissions hardening
inetpub folder
it security
local privilege escalation
microsoft april update
microsoft patch
microsoft security update
microsoft update
microsoft vulnerability
operating system security
privilege escalation
protecting system files
security best practices
security hardening
security mitigation
security patch
security patch issues
security workaround
software patches
symbolic link attacks
symbolic links
symlink exploitation
symlink exploits
symlink vulnerability
sysadmin tips
system administration
system folders
system integrity
system permissions
system protection
system security
system update bypass
update integrity
user rights
windows 11
windows 11 update
windows defender
windows exploits
windows iis
windows patch
windows patch management
windows security
windows security best practices
windows system
windows system files
windows update
windows update vulnerabilities
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerability
Windows 11 continues to surprise its users. The latest April 2025 cumulative update—KB5055523—has introduced an unexpected twist: the creation of an empty "inetpub" folder in the root of the C: drive, even on systems where Internet Information Services (IIS) is not installed. While the folder’s...
administration
automated updates
best practices
bypass security
community reactions
computer safety
computer security
configuration requirements
cumulative update
cumulative updates
cve vulnerabilities
cve-2025-21204
cybersecurity
data protection
developer tools
digital safety
digital security
directoryjunctiondirectoryjunctions
enterprise security
enterprise strategy
file management
file permissions
folder
folder management
folder permissions
folder restoration
iis
iis folder
inetpub
inetpub folder
internet information services
it admin guide
it administration
it management
it professionals
it security
it security tips
it tips
it troubleshooting
junction points
kb5055523
local privilege exploit
local threats
local user exploits
malicious actors
malware prevention
microsoft
microsoft patch tuesday
microsoft patches
microsoft security
microsoft security update
microsoft update
microsoft updates
ntfs permissions
operating system
patch
patch management
patch tuesday
permission lockdown
permissions management
privilege escalation
remote exploits
security
security best practices
security enhancement
security hardening
security measures
security mitigation
security patch
security patches
security patching
security update
security updates
security vulnerabilities
security vulnerability
software anomaly
software security
software update
symbolic link exploit
symbolic links
symlink exploit
symlink vulnerability
sysadmin tips
system administration
system folder
system folders
system hardening
system integrity
system maintenance
system management
system optimization
system permissions
system protection
system security
system stability
system update
system update issues
system updates
system vulnerabilities
system vulnerability
tech community
tech support
technical analysis
technical support
technology updates
update
update 24h2
update documentation
update issues
update kb5055523
update practices
update vulnerability
updates
user awareness
user communication
user community
user concerns
user experience
user guides
vulnerabilities
vulnerability
vulnerability mitigation
vulnerability patch
web server
windows 10
windows 11
windows 11 april 2025 update
windows 11 security
windows 11 tips
windows 11 update
windows customization
windows exploit protection
windows features
windows folder management
windows folder permissions
windows folder protection
windows folder restoration
windows folder structure
windows folders
windows iis
windows os updates
windows patch
windows patches
windows quirks
windows security
windows security features
windows security patches
windows security update
windows servicing stack
windows system files
windows system folder
windows system security
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows update guide
windows update mitigation
windows update security
windows update troubleshooting
windows update vulnerability
windows updates
windows vulnerabilities
windows vulnerability