CVE-2026-13079

SYSTEM privilege escalation via incorrect resource permissions

Published Jul 2, 2026 · Updated Jul 2, 2026

Privilege escalation in WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows 2026.2 and earlier allows local users to gain SYSTEM access. WatchGuard identifies incorrect permissions on a security-critical resource but has not disclosed the resource, permission setting, or triggering operation. Exploitation requires existing low-privileged local access; successful abuse grants NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM control of the Windows host.

CVSS severity7.3
High
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows 2026.2 and earlier allows local users to gain SYSTEM access. WatchGuard identifies incorrect permissions on a security-critical resource but has not disclosed the resource, permission setting, or triggering operation. Exploitation requires existing low-privileged local access; successful abuse grants NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM control of the Windows host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-13079
Published
Jul 2, 2026
Updated
Jul 2, 2026
Vendor
WatchGuard Technologies
Product
Fireware OS
Classifications
CWE-732, CAPEC-17, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 2, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jul 2, 2026Record 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=12.0 <=12.12
  2. Affected versionversion=2025.1 <=2026.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

WatchGuard Technologies · Fireware OSversion=12.0 <=12.12; version=2025.1 <=2026.2

Published CVSS scores

7.3WatchGuard TechnologiesCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-732Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
CAPEC-17Using Malicious Files
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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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