{"id":50074,"date":"2025-06-09T01:59:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:59:42","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-10T11:17:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:17:48","slug":"cve-2025-20298-incorrect-permissions-assignment-in-universal-forwarder-for-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-20298-incorrect-permissions-assignment-in-universal-forwarder-for-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2025-20298: Incorrect Permissions Assignment in Universal Forwarder for Windows<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The CVE-2025-20298 vulnerability is a severe security flaw discovered in Universal Forwarder for Windows versions below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9. This vulnerability is critical because it allows non-administrator users on a machine to access the directory and all its contents. The incorrect permissions assignment in the Universal Forwarder for Windows installation directory could potentially be exploited, leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32309-potential-system-compromise-due-to-remote-file-inclusion-in-php-program\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56536\">system compromise<\/a> or data leakage.<br \/>\nThis vulnerability is particularly concerning because of the widespread use of Universal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-42598-critical-security-vulnerability-in-seiko-epson-printer-drivers-for-windows-os\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57603\">Forwarder<\/a> for Windows in many organizations. Its severity and the potential for widespread damage make it a priority for immediate attention and remediation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2025-20298<br \/>\nSeverity: High (8.0 CVSS Score)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Local<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: Low<br \/>\nUser Interaction: None<br \/>\nImpact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2021-47668-linux-kernel-vulnerability-leading-to-potential-system-compromise-or-data-leakage\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57604\">System compromise or data<\/a> leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-2690282070\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p>Universal Forwarder for Windows | Below 9.4.2<br \/>\nUniversal Forwarder for Windows | Below 9.3.4<br \/>\nUniversal Forwarder for Windows | Below 9.2.6<br \/>\nUniversal Forwarder for Windows | Below 9.1.9<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The exploit works by taking advantage of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-23386-incorrect-default-permissions-vulnerability-in-opensuse-tumbleweed-package-gerbera\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56905\">incorrect permissions<\/a> assigned in the Universal Forwarder for Windows installation directory. During installation or an upgrade to an affected version, incorrect permissions are set, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-49136-critical-vulnerability-in-listmonk-allows-unauthorized-access-to-sensitive-environment-variables\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"60393\">allowing non-administrator users to access<\/a> the directory and its contents. This could potentially allow a malicious user to alter, delete, or extract <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-48749-netwrix-directory-manager-s-sensitive-data-exposure-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56722\">sensitive information from the directory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-2777381309\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>In this conceptual example, a non-admin user uses a simple shell command to access and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-1883-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerability-in-solidworks-edrawings-obj-file-reading-procedure\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"58193\">read sensitive files<\/a> in the directory:<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\">$ cd C:\\Program Files\\SplunkUniversalForwarder\n$ dir\n$ type sensitive_file.txt<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>In this example, the user navigates to the Universal Forwarder directory (`cd C:Program FilesSplunkUniversalForwarder`), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2024-12827-privilege-escalation-via-account-takeover-in-dwt-directory-listing-wordpress-theme\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"65448\">lists the directory<\/a> contents (`dir`), and the `type` command is used to read the contents of a sensitive file.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The recommended mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can act as temporary mitigation. However, these should not be relied upon as a long-term solution. Regularly updating and patching software is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/free-cybersecurity-clinic-in-kalispell-a-crucial-step-in-combating-digital-threats\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56535\">crucial part of maintaining a strong cybersecurity<\/a> posture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview The CVE-2025-20298 vulnerability is a severe security flaw discovered in Universal Forwarder for Windows versions below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9. This vulnerability is critical because it allows non-administrator users on a machine to access the directory and all its contents. The incorrect permissions assignment in the Universal Forwarder for Windows installation directory could [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[82],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-50074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-microsoft"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50074"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58903,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50074\/revisions\/58903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=50074"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=50074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}