CVE-2025-49728: Local Cleartext Credential Leak in Microsoft PC Manager – Patch Now

CVE-2025-49728 — Microsoft PC Manager: Cleartext storage of sensitive information (Security‑feature bypass, local)
Summary (TL;DR)

• Microsoft has assigned CVE‑2025‑49728 to a vulnerability in Microsoft PC Manager where sensitive information is stored in cleartext, enabling a local, unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• The issue is a local cleartext‑storage information disclosure that can be leveraged to defeat security controls on an affected machine; Microsoft lists the issue on its advisory page and has published updates to address PC Manager vulnerabilities. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• Immediate actions: (1) Apply Microsoft’s PC Manager update(s) or remove PC Manager if you do not need it; (2) search your system for exposed secrets and rotate any impacted credentials; (3) restrict local access and monitor for suspicious activity. Full detection and remediation steps below.

Why this matters

• Storing secrets (passwords, tokens, certificates, or configuration flags) in cleartext on disk means an attacker who can read those files (or obtain exported configuration/data) may obtain secrets directly. That can enable privilege escalation, bypass of local protections, lateral movement, or use of those credentials elsewhere. Cleartext storage is a common, high‑impact weakness (CWE classes such as CWE‑312 / CWE‑312‑like issues). Microsoft’s advisory for this CVE identifies the root class as cleartext storage enabling a bypass of a security control. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• Microsoft PC Manager has been the subject of several local vulnerabilities during 2025 (link‑following, insecure search/load paths, improper access control); the existence of multiple local vulnerabilities increases the overall attack surface for authenticated local users. (zerodayinitiative.com)
• Independently, security trackers and vulnerability aggregators flag “cleartext storage” as a severe issue in other products; the operational impact is typically credential theft and subsequent misuse.

Technical overview (what the vulnerability is)

• What Microsoft says: CVE‑2025‑49728 is described as “Cleartext storage of sensitive information in Microsoft PC Manager allows an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature locally.” That wording indicates the application persists sensitive data without adequate confidentiality protections, and that an attacker with local access (not necessarily SYSTEM) can leverage that stored data to defeat a security control. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• Typical exploitation path (generalized, since Microsoft does not publish exploit code in advisories):
• An attacker with local file‑read access (this may require authentication or a low‑privilege account) finds and reads cleartext secrets left by PC Manager (for example configuration files, logs, registry values, or exported backups).
• The attacker uses those secrets (passwords, tokens, or configuration settings) to manipulate PC Manager behavior or to authenticate/impersonate a privileged operation, thereby bypassing or disabling a security feature.
• The result could be disabling protections, elevating privileges, or obtaining additional credentials stored by other services.
• Note: Microsoft’s short advisory language implies the bypass is local; it does not indicate remote exploitation without local access. (msrc.microsoft.com)

Who/what is affected

• Product: Microsoft PC Manager (the Microsoft utility for system cleanup/optimization/management). Microsoft’s advisory lists the product as affected; please consult the advisory for the precise affected builds on your platform. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• Attack vector: local (an attacker must have local access to the machine — either an authenticated local user account or physical access). Public reporting about PC Manager shows a cluster of local vulnerabilities where attackers require local code execution or local authentication. (zerodayinitiative.com)
• Scope: On many systems the practical risk is to multi‑user machines, shared workstations, or systems where attacker can trick a user into installing or running low‑privilege code. Organizations with lax endpoint access controls or weak account hygiene are most at risk.

Practical detection — how to check if you’re impacted
1) Check whether PC Manager is installed and which version you have.

• Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or use winget / PowerShell) and note the installed PC Manager version.
• PowerShell example: Get‑ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" | Where‑Object { $_.DisplayName -like "PC Manager*" } | Select DisplayName, DisplayVersion
  2) Confirm Microsoft advisory / patch status for your installed version.
• Microsoft’s advisory page for CVE‑2025‑49728 lists affected and fixed versions (check the “Mitigations/Remediations” or “Affected Products” section on the MSRC advisory). If you see your exact version listed as affected and a fixed version listed, update. (msrc.microsoft.com)
  3) Search for cleartext secret artifacts that PC Manager might create.
• Common places: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PCManager\, %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\PCManager\, and any exported config/backups the app creates; sometimes the Registry under HKCU/HKLM software keys can contain settings.
• Quick PowerShell example to search readable files for obvious secret labels (run as a user with appropriate permissions; this can produce false positives — adjust patterns as needed):
• Get‑ChildItem -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\PCManager","$envROGRAMDATA\Microsoft\PCManager" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select‑String -Pattern "password|pwd|token|secret|key|api_key" -SimpleMatch |
  Select Path, LineNumber, Line
• If you find strings like raw passwords, tokens, or keys in plain text, treat those as compromised and rotate them immediately.
  4) Audit endpoint logs and local privilege change events.
• Look for unexpected PC Manager service restarts, configuration changes, or file reads by non‑admin users. Correlate with account activity for potential misuse.

Mitigation & remediation (what to do now)
Follow these steps in roughly this order — prioritize patching:
1) Apply Microsoft’s update for PC Manager immediately

• Microsoft indicates updates are available to correct PC Manager vulnerabilities; patching the application is the primary remediation. Use Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, or the vendor‑supplied installer for PC Manager to update to the fixed version listed on Microsoft’s advisory. (msrc.microsoft.com)

2) If you cannot patch immediately, consider temporary mitigations

• Uninstall or disable PC Manager if you do not require it. This removes the vulnerable code from the endpoint and reduces risk.
• Restrict local access: apply stricter local account policies (remove unnecessary local accounts, tighten file/dir ACLs for PC Manager directories).
• Block or blocklist PC Manager services from running until patched (only as a temporary stopgap and after testing — some enterprises may rely on features).
• Note: these are mitigations; the only full remediation is to apply the vendor’s fix. (msrc.microsoft.com)

3) Rotate/replace any credentials or secrets that may have been stored in cleartext

• If you discover passwords, tokens, or API keys in PC Manager files, assume they are compromised and rotate them immediately.
• If any enterprise accounts are exposed, follow standard incident response for credential compromise (password reset, multi‑factor authentication enrollment/confirmation, session invalidation).

4) Audit and harden endpoints to reduce local attack opportunities

• Enforce least privilege: prevent users from running unapproved installers or code.
• Enable Endpoint Protection and EDR to detect suspicious reads of configuration or credential files.
• Employ disk encryption and strong ACLs for application data directories.
• Consider application allowlisting (AppLocker / Windows Defender Application Control) for sensitive environments.

Recommended post‑remediation steps (for admins/IR teams)

• Full inventory: identify all endpoints with PC Manager installed (use endpoint management tools and inventory queries).
• Patch verification: verify patched version is deployed everywhere; document remediation status.
• For endpoints where cleartext secrets were found, review logs for any suspicious access and perform endpoint forensic triage (file access times, accounts used, copies of files exported).
• Reissue/rotate any exposed secrets and reset impacted user sessions.
• Update policies to prevent storage of plain text secrets by applications: require secrets be stored encrypted using OS key stores, use certificate stores or protected DPAPI/CNG mechanisms, and require code reviews for any in‑house utilities.

Indicators of compromise (IoCs) and detection rules (suggested)

• Files in PC Manager directories containing literal plaintext patterns like "password=","token:","api_key" — flag and triage.
• Non‑admin user processes accessing PC Manager program files or service processes unexpectedly.
• Unexpected creation of exported configuration files or backups in user profile directories.
• Endpoint rules (EDR): detect read access to files matching PC Manager configuration paths by non‑service accounts.

Risk assessment / likely impact (practical guidance)

• Attackers with local access already have an advantage; cleartext storage amplifies that advantage. The most common impact is credential theft and either local bypass of protections or pivoting to other services that reuse those credentials.
• Organizations with unmanaged endpoints, shared workstations, or lax local account hygiene should treat this as high priority even though the vector is local.
• For high‑security environments (finance, critical infrastructure), immediate removal or strict containment of PC Manager until patched is reasonable.

What Microsoft and researchers have said (short)

• Microsoft’s advisory lists CVE‑2025‑49728 and describes it as cleartext storage allowing an attacker to bypass a security feature locally; Microsoft’s update guide is the authoritative place to confirm affected/fixed versions and deployment guidance. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• Multiple third‑party vulnerability trackers and vulnerability brokers have documented several local PC Manager vulnerabilities and recommend patching/uninstalling as needed; Zero Day Initiative and other trackers have published advisories for PC Manager local vulnerabilities and note Microsoft issued updates. (zerodayinitiative.com)
• Security community writeups about cleartext storage in other products show the same class of risk and typical mitigations (search and rotate secrets, patch the app).

Quick checklist for Windows Forum readers (copy/paste)

• [ ] Check if PC Manager is installed and note version. (Settings → Apps, or use PowerShell).
• [ ] Check Microsoft’s advisory page for CVE‑2025‑49728 and confirm the fixed version for your installation. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• [ ] Apply the PC Manager update across all endpoints or uninstall PC Manager where not required. (zerodayinitiative.com)
• [ ] Search for cleartext secrets in PC Manager directories (sample PowerShell snippet above) and rotate any found.
• [ ] Restrict local accounts and review endpoint security policies (allowlisting, EDR).
• [ ] Monitor for suspicious activity and update incident response plans if secrets were found.

If you want me to do X for you (offer)

• I can produce specific PowerShell commands tuned to your environment to (a) detect PC Manager installations across a domain, (b) search for likely plaintext secrets on endpoints, and (c) generate a remediation playbook for roll‑out of the vendor fix.
• If you’d like, provide the output of your inventory (or tell me the management platform you use — Intune, SCCM, Jamf, etc.) and I’ll draft exact queries and deployment steps.

Final notes and responsible disclosure

• Vendor advisories are the authoritative source for affected/fixed version numbers and remediation steps. Check Microsoft’s advisory for CVE‑2025‑49728 directly and follow the update instructions there as your first step. (msrc.microsoft.com)
• This CVE is one of several local vulnerabilities found in PC Manager during 2025; organizations should treat PC Manager as an application with elevated risk profile until all endpoints are patched. (zerodayinitiative.com)

References (used to prepare this article; cited inline above)

• Microsoft Security Update Guide – CVE‑2025‑49728 (Microsoft PC Manager — cleartext storage / security‑feature bypass). (msrc.microsoft.com)
• ZDI / Trend Micro advisories and related tracker entries for PC Manager local vulnerabilities (link‑following, uncontrolled search path). (zerodayinitiative.com)
• Community and vulnerability aggregators documenting PC Manager vulnerabilities and recommended patching. (securityvulnerability.io)
• Internal forum/archive snippets on the broader problem class “cleartext storage of sensitive information” used to illustrate the general impact and detection approach.

If you want, I can:

• Draft a one‑page remediation plan tailored for your environment (enterprise or home), with exact PowerShell/Intune/SCCM commands to detect and remediate PC Manager at scale.
• Help craft an incident response checklist to handle rotation of exposed credentials and forensic triage steps.

Would you like the remediation playbook or the PowerShell detection scripts next?

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Source: MSRC Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center