SYSTEM privilege escalation via uncontrolled search path
Published Jul 17, 2025 · Updated Jul 17, 2025
Local privilege escalation in Sophos Intercept X for Windows Installer before 1.22 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. The installer uses an uncontrolled search-path element while running with elevated rights; Sophos has not disclosed the searched component or writable location. Exploitation requires a local user and an affected installer launched as SYSTEM, after which attacker-controlled code gains system-level execution.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Sophos Intercept X for Windows Installer before 1.22 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. The installer uses an uncontrolled search-path element while running with elevated rights; Sophos has not disclosed the searched component or writable location. Exploitation requires a local user and an affected installer launched as SYSTEM, after which attacker-controlled code gains system-level execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-7472
- Published
- Jul 17, 2025
- Updated
- Jul 17, 2025
- Vendor
- Sophos
- Product
- Sophos Intercept X for Windows
- Classifications
- CWE-427, CAPEC-640, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 17, 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 <1.22
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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