CVE-2025-50675: Critical File Permission Vulnerability in GPMAW 14 Bioinformatics Software

Overview

The bioinformatics field is increasingly relying on software to aid in the analysis and interpretation of biological data. One such software, GPMAW 14, is widely used due to its extensive features, but a recent discovery of a vulnerability in its file permissions has raised alarms among its user base. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-50675, can potentially grant an attacker administrative privileges and execute arbitrary code on the compromised system. The vulnerability is of particular concern due to its high severity score and the potential impact on the integrity of biological data and system security.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-50675
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: User level
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

GPMAW 14 | All versions prior to patch

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability resides in the insecure file permissions of the GPMAW 14 installation directory. All users have full read, write, and execute permissions for this directory. This misconfiguration allows any user to manipulate files within the directory, including executable files such as GPMAW3.exe, Fragment.exe, and the uninstaller GPsetup64_17028.exe.
An attacker with user-level access can exploit this flaw by replacing or modifying the uninstaller with a malicious version. While the application itself runs in the user’s context, the uninstaller typically runs with administrative privileges when an administrator attempts to uninstall the software. This way, the attacker could gain administrative privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the administrator, resulting in privilege escalation.

Conceptual Example Code

This is a conceptual example of how an attacker might replace the legitimate uninstaller with a malicious one using a simple shell command:

cp /path/to/malicious/uninstaller.exe /path/to/GPMAW/installation/directory/GPsetup64_17028.exe

In this example, the attacker copies a malicious version of the uninstaller into the GPMAW installation directory, replacing the legitimate uninstaller. When an administrator runs the uninstaller, they unintentionally execute the malicious code, granting the attacker administrative privileges.

Mitigation Guidance

To mitigate this vulnerability, users are highly recommended to apply the vendor-supplied patch as soon as possible. As a temporary measure, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to monitor and block suspicious activities. However, these measures are not a substitute for the patch and should be used as interim solutions until the patch is applied.