KB5046617: Windows Server 2025 Security Update (November 2024)
A crafted Kerberos response can give an attacker code execution on any Windows Server configured as a Kerberos KDC Proxy.
An attacker who can persuade a KDC Proxy server to fetch a Kerberos response from a server they control — by hijacking DNS for the configured DC, MITM-ing the connection, or directly redirecting the proxy — can return a crafted response with oversized length values that triggers the integer overflow and lets them run code in the KPSSVC context. The result is unauthenticated remote code execution on the proxy, with SYSTEM privileges.
The Kerberos KDC Proxy Service (KPSSVC) lets remote clients perform Kerberos authentication over HTTPS, used by features like Always-On VPN, Direct Access, and Remote Desktop Gateway to give external clients access to AD authentication without exposing Kerberos on the internet. A numeric-truncation / integer-overflow flaw in how KPSSVC parses Kerberos responses lets an attacker who can lure the proxy into connecting to a malicious domain controller corrupt memory and execute code. Domain controllers themselves are NOT directly vulnerable.
Probably yes if any of these apply:
Affected OS versions
An organisation hosts a Windows Server in a DMZ as a Kerberos KDC Proxy to support Always-On VPN clients. An attacker compromises the network path between the proxy and the internal DC — for example by ARP-poisoning the proxy's VLAN. The attacker returns a crafted Kerberos response; the proxy parses it, overflows, and the attacker has SYSTEM on a DMZ server that has direct authenticated access into the AD environment.
Manual download
For air-gapped servers or out-of-band deployment. Microsoft Update Catalog returns every OS-version variant of this update.
↗ Microsoft Update CatalogKB5046617Manual remediation steps
Prerequisites
Estimated time
20–40 minutes per server (download + install + reboot)
Reboot required
Yes — install the cumulative update and reboot the server before the fix is active.
Steps
1. Confirm the server is missing the patch
Get-HotFix -Id KB5046617 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
2. Install the update — pick one channel
Windows Update / WSUS (preferred):
UsoClient ScanInstallWait
# (or use your standard WSUS / SCCM / Intune deployment for KB5046617)
Manual download (offline / air-gapped):
3. Reboot
Restart-Computer -Force
Verification
Get-HotFix -Id KB5046617
[System.Environment]::OSVersion.Version
If Get-HotFix returns nothing for KB5046617, the install did not take — re-run from a different channel.
Rollback
wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:5046617 /quiet /norestart
# Reboot after uninstall
Removing a cumulative update also removes every fix it delivered — prefer rolling forward.
Notes
No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.