Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is constantly changing, with new vulnerabilities being discovered regularly. One such vulnerability, CVE-2025-24917, poses a serious threat to organizations using Tenable Network Monitor versions prior to 6.5.1 on a Windows host. This vulnerability makes it possible for a non-administrative user to stage files in a local directory, potentially running arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. This could lead to local privilege escalation, a significant concern for businesses and individual users alike as it opens the door for potential system compromise and data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-24917
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS v3.1)
Attack Vector: Local access
Privileges Required: Low (Non-administrative user)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Local Privilege Escalation, Potential system compromise, Data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Tenable Network Monitor | Prior to 6.5.1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability exists due to a flaw in the Tenable Network Monitor’s security control mechanism, which allows non-administrative users to stage files in a local directory that can execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. This means a local attacker can exploit the flaw to escalate their privileges to the system level, giving them full control over the affected machine. This control could be used maliciously to compromise the system or leak sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this pseudocode, the attacker uses local access to stage a file in the local directory, executing arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges:
$ cd /path/to/local/directory
$ echo 'malicious_code' > staged_file
$ chmod +x staged_file
$ ./staged_fileIn this example, ‘malicious_code’ represents the arbitrary code the attacker wants to execute with SYSTEM privileges.
Mitigation Guidance
Users are strongly recommended to upgrade to Tenable Network Monitor version 6.5.1 or later, which contains a patch for this vulnerability. If upgrading is not immediately possible, users can use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. However, this should not replace the need for updating to a secure version of the software.
Remember, maintaining the most recent version of any software is a crucial part of keeping your system secure. Regular patching and updates can protect against known vulnerabilities and help prevent potential system compromise or data leakage.