Arbitrary code execution via hijacked software updates
Published Mar 27, 2025 · Updated Mar 27, 2025
Update verification flaws in WPS Office on Windows allow man-in-the-middle attackers to execute code through hijacked software updates. The updater accepts components signed with a recoverable private key, while older builds fetch updates without validating the server certificate. Network interception and recovery of the weak signing key permit unauthenticated substitution of a malicious update, as observed in NSPX30 delivery.
Summary
What happened
Update verification flaws in WPS Office on Windows allow man-in-the-middle attackers to execute code through hijacked software updates. The updater accepts components signed with a recoverable private key, while older builds fetch updates without validating the server certificate. Network interception and recovery of the weak signing key permit unauthenticated substitution of a malicious update, as observed in NSPX30 delivery.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-2516
- Published
- Mar 27, 2025
- Updated
- Mar 27, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-326, CAPEC-20, CAPEC-485, CAPEC-187, T1195.002, T1557
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 27, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 27, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Reported exploitation
- NSPX30 delivery through WPS Office updatesreported exploitation
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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