Summary
Impact: Remote Code Execution. Microsoft rating: Important. Not known to be exploited — Exploitation Unlikely. Customer action: Required.
Details
Where do I find installation steps for WSL and WSLg?
If you have an existing WSL installation without WSLg and want to update to the latest version of WSL which includes WSLg, run the command wsl --update from an elevated command prompt.
To learn more visit the GitHub Repo.
According to the CVSS metric, the attack vector is network (AV:N) and the user interaction is required (UI:R). How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
A vulnerability in the Remote Desktop client can lead to remote code execution in the Windows host process (msrdc.exe). While the typical scenario involves local communication between a Windows host and a Linux VM, the attack vector is Network (AV:N) because it relies on a network protocol.
Although user interaction is required, the risk extends beyond local use: the client supports loading plugins via the /plugin option, and the protocol is open source. This means a crafted attack could potentially be delivered remotely if an attacker can interact with the protocol.
Security updates
2.6.2 — https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/releases/tag/2.6.2
Vulnerabilities 1
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High 8.8
Windows Subsystem for Linux GUI Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Subsystem for Linux GUI allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Revision history
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#2
Corrected one or more links in the FAQ. This is an informational change only.
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#1
Information published.
References
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CVE-2025-62220 Windows Subsystem for Linux GUI Remote Code Execution Vulnerability - HTML
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-62220
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Microsoft Exploitability Index
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/msrc/exploitability-index?rtc=1
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Microsoft Support Lifecycle
https://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle
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Common Vulnerability Scoring System
https://www.first.org/cvss