Workflow Abuse | Interface Trust Failure

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Executive Snapshot The Windows file inspection workflow designed to protect users has been silently weaponized by nation-state actors since 2017. Microsoft quietly patched CVE-2025-9491 in November after years of refusing to treat a deliberate UI deception as a security vulnerability.

Signal Eleven state-sponsored groups exploited a single UI display limitation in Windows shortcut properties to hide malicious commands in plain sight for eight years before remediation.

Strategic Implication Your users were taught to right-click and inspect files, and that training became the attack vector.

Action Audit endpoint detection rules for anomalous LNK file execution patterns today. Block shortcut file delivery through email gateways and archive handlers now. Hunt for historical PlugX, Ursnif, and Gh0st RAT indicators tied to LNK-based delivery across diplomatic and executive endpoints this week.