CVE-2025-43079 MEDIUM

CVE-2025-43079: Local Privilege Escalation via qagent_uninstall.sh Qualys Cloud Agents

Vendor Qualys Inc
Product Qualys Agent
Weakness CWE-426
Published November 10, 2025
Last update March 18, 2026

CVSS base score

6.3/10
Attack vector Local
Attack complexity High
Privileges required High
User interaction Required
Confidentiality High
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What the vulnerability does

01Description

The Qualys Cloud Agent included a bundled uninstall script (qagent_uninstall.sh), specific to Mac and Linux supported versions that invoked multiple system commands without using absolute paths and without sanitizing the $PATH environment. If the uninstall script is executed with elevated privileges (e.g., via sudo) in an environment where $PATH has been manipulated, an attacker with root/sudo privileges could cause malicious executables to be run in place of the intended system binaries. This behavior can be leveraged for local privilege escalation and arbitrary command execution under elevated privileges.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

November 10, 2025 CVE published
March 18, 2026 Record updated