Root code execution via predictable temporary configuration
Published May 7, 2025 · Updated May 7, 2025
Privilege escalation in IXON VPN Client before 1.4.4 on Linux and macOS allows local users to execute code as root via a file race. The privileged client writes an OpenVPN configuration to the predictable /tmp/vpn_client_openvpn_configuration.ovpn path, allowing replacement with a FIFO that supplies script-security and tls-verify directives. Exploitation requires a low-privileged account and an authorized VPN connection that causes OpenVPN to consume the substituted configuration.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in IXON VPN Client before 1.4.4 on Linux and macOS allows local users to execute code as root via a file race. The privileged client writes an OpenVPN configuration to the predictable /tmp/vpn_client_openvpn_configuration.ovpn path, allowing replacement with a FIFO that supplies script-security and tls-verify directives. Exploitation requires a low-privileged account and an authorized VPN connection that causes OpenVPN to consume the substituted configuration.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-26168
- Published
- May 7, 2025
- Updated
- May 7, 2025
- Vendor
- IXON
- Product
- IXON VPN Client
- Classifications
- CWE-732, T1059.004, T1548
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 7, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.4.4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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
- Predictable OpenVPN configuration FIFO exploitfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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