CVE-2025-43853Public exploit

Host filesystem access via backslash symlink traversal

Published May 15, 2025 · Updated May 15, 2025

Symlink following in iwasm before 2.3.0 allows local users to read or create host files outside a WASI preopened directory. On Windows, libc-uvwasi accepts backslash-containing symlink targets, and path_open follows them beyond the preopened directory when opening or creating a file. Exploitation requires execution of an attacker-supplied Wasm module in an affected Windows WAMR instance, exposing readable host data or permitting host file creation.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.27%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Symlink following in iwasm before 2.3.0 allows local users to read or create host files outside a WASI preopened directory. On Windows, libc-uvwasi accepts backslash-containing symlink targets, and path_open follows them beyond the preopened directory when opening or creating a file. Exploitation requires execution of an attacker-supplied Wasm module in an affected Windows WAMR instance, exposing readable host data or permitting host file creation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-43853
Published
May 15, 2025
Updated
May 15, 2025
Vendor
Bytecode Alliance
Product
WebAssembly Micro Runtime (WAMR)
Classifications
CWE-61, T1005
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 15, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 15, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 2.3.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Bytecode Alliance · WebAssembly Micro Runtime (WAMR)version=< 2.3.0

Published CVSS scores

7.0GitHub CNACVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

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.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
T1005Data from Local System

Public exploit references

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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