CVE Catalog

CVE-2025-43079

MediumCVSS 6.3
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.16%

5th percentile - higher than 5% of all known CVEs

Summary

The Qualys Cloud Agent included a bundled uninstall script (qagent_uninstall.sh) for supported Mac and Linux versions that invoked multiple system commands without using absolute paths and without sanitizing the $PATH environment. If executed with elevated privileges (e.g., via sudo) in an environment with a manipulated $PATH, an attacker with root/sudo privileges could cause malicious executables to run instead of intended system binaries. This can be leveraged for local privilege escalation and arbitrary command execution under elevated privileges.

Risk Assessment

The risk includes full system compromise by an attacker with root/sudo privileges, potentially leading to persistent backdoors, data theft, or complete host compromise. However, the attack requires prior access to an environment where $PATH can be manipulated.

Recommendation

Update the Qualys agent to a patched version immediately. If not possible, avoid running the uninstall script with elevated privileges in environments where $PATH may be controlled by unauthorized parties.

Related vulnerabilities

Original NVD description (English source)

The Qualys Cloud Agent included a bundled uninstall script (qagent_uninstall.sh), specific to Mac and Linux supported versions that invoked multiple system commands without using absolute paths and without sanitizing the $PATH environment. If the uninstall script is executed with elevated privileges (e.g., via sudo) in an environment where $PATH has been manipulated, an attacker with root/sudo privileges could cause malicious executables to be run in place of the intended system binaries. This behavior can be leveraged for local privilege escalation and arbitrary command execution under elevated privileges.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS