CVE-2025-23177 Overview
CVE-2025-23177 is a high-severity vulnerability classified under [CWE-427]: Uncontrolled Search Path Element. The flaw allows an attacker with low privileges to manipulate the search path used by a target application to locate libraries or executables. When the application loads a resource from an attacker-controlled location, the adversary can execute code in the security context of the vulnerable process. The Israeli Government CVE Advisories portal lists this issue with a network attack vector.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution, integrity compromise, and high-impact disruption of the affected service through hijacked library or binary loading.
Affected Products
- Specific vendor and product information has not been published in the National Vulnerability Database entry
- Refer to the Israeli Government CVE Advisories for vendor-specific guidance
- Organizations should review internal software inventories for any products linked to this advisory
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-29 - CVE-2025-23177 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23177
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from an uncontrolled search path element within the affected software. The application resolves dependencies, such as dynamic-link libraries (DLLs), shared objects, or helper executables, using a search order that includes directories writable or influenceable by an authenticated user. An attacker who can place a malicious file earlier in the search order causes the application to load attacker-controlled code instead of the intended resource.
The loaded code inherits the privileges and trust of the host process. This commonly results in arbitrary code execution and high availability impact, while confidentiality and integrity exposure remain limited to data accessible to that process. Network reachability combined with low privilege requirements broadens the population of potential attackers.
Root Cause
The root cause is the failure to enforce an explicit, trusted search path when resolving external resources. Affected code paths rely on environment variables, relative paths, or current working directory lookups without validating the origin of the loaded module. This pattern, documented as [CWE-427], creates a deterministic load order that attackers can influence by writing files to predictable locations.
Attack Vector
An authenticated attacker with low privileges plants a malicious library or executable in a directory consulted by the vulnerable application. When the application is launched or triggered to load the dependency, the operating system follows the unsafe search order and executes the attacker payload. Since the attack vector is network-based, remote interactions that cause the target service to load resources can be used to deliver the malicious component.
No verified proof-of-concept code is available for this CVE. Technical details remain limited to the Israeli Government CVE Advisories.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23177
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected DLL, .so, or executable files appearing in application installation directories or user-writable paths consulted at load time
- Process telemetry showing the target application loading modules from non-standard locations such as user profile or temporary directories
- File creation events for libraries with names matching legitimate dependencies but located outside trusted system paths
Detection Strategies
- Monitor image-load events and correlate the loaded module path against an allowlist of trusted directories
- Alert on writes to directories that appear in application search paths by non-privileged users
- Hunt for processes spawning child processes from unusual parent binaries that match the affected software profile
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose module-load auditing on systems running the affected software and ship events to a centralized log platform
- Track integrity of files in application directories using file integrity monitoring with cryptographic baselines
- Review authentication logs for low-privileged accounts performing unusual file write operations in software install paths
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23177
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify systems running the affected software referenced in the Israeli Government CVE Advisories and prioritize patching
- Restrict write permissions on application directories and any directories present in the runtime search path
- Remove unnecessary entries from PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, and equivalent environment variables on affected hosts
Patch Information
Vendor patch details were not published in the National Vulnerability Database entry at the time of writing. Administrators should consult the vendor advisory linked through the Israeli Government CVE Advisories portal and apply fixes as they become available. Track the CVE record for updates to affected version ranges and remediation guidance.
Workarounds
- Run the affected application with the least privileges required to limit the blast radius if exploitation succeeds
- Configure the operating system to enforce safe library search behavior, such as the SafeDllSearchMode registry setting on Windows hosts
- Apply application allowlisting to block execution of unsigned or unexpected binaries from user-writable locations
- Audit and harden file system access controls so that low-privileged accounts cannot write to directories consulted during module resolution
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
