CVE-2025-2759: GStreamer Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-2759 Overview

CVE-2025-2759 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the GStreamer multimedia framework installer. The flaw stems from incorrect permission assignment [CWE-732] on directories created during installation. A local attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can leverage the misconfigured folder permissions to execute arbitrary code in the context of a target user. The issue was reported through the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative as ZDI-CAN-25448 and published under advisory ZDI-25-268.

Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of another user on systems where the affected GStreamer installer was used.

Affected Products

GStreamer multimedia framework (installer component)
Installations deployed via the affected GStreamer product installer
Systems where local low-privileged accounts share the host with higher-privileged GStreamer users

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-22 - CVE-2025-2759 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2759

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the GStreamer product installer, which creates folders with permissions that allow low-privileged users to modify their contents. Because higher-privileged processes later load or execute files from these directories, a local attacker can plant malicious content that runs with elevated privileges. The weakness maps to CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) and requires local access with low privileges but no user interaction to exploit.

Successful exploitation grants the attacker code execution in the context of a target user, which can lead to full compromise of that user's session, credential theft, and lateral movement across the host. The Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative documented the issue in ZDI-25-268.

Root Cause

The GStreamer installer provisions directories without restricting write access to privileged accounts. Any local user can modify files inside these directories. When a privileged process reads or executes those files, the attacker-supplied content is trusted and runs with the privileges of the invoking user.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access to a system with a vulnerable GStreamer installation. The attacker writes a malicious payload into the world-writable directory and waits for a higher-privileged user or process to trigger execution. No user interaction from the victim beyond normal application use is required.

A proof-of-concept demonstrating the technique is published in the MoTechStore CVE-2025-27591 PoC repository. Refer to the ZDI advisory for authoritative technical details on the affected paths and load sequence.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2759

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected files or binaries written into GStreamer installation directories by non-administrative user accounts.
Privileged processes loading libraries or executables from paths with permissive ACLs.
New processes spawned by GStreamer components whose parent-child relationships deviate from baseline.

Detection Strategies

Audit filesystem ACLs on GStreamer installation directories and flag entries granting write access to standard users or Everyone.
Monitor process creation events where a privileged account executes a binary located in a user-writable path.
Correlate file-write events in GStreamer directories with subsequent execution events sourced from the same paths.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable file integrity monitoring on all GStreamer installation directories and plugin paths.
Alert on modifications to .dll, .so, or executable files inside multimedia framework directories originating from non-privileged users.
Baseline legitimate GStreamer child processes and alert on anomalous binaries executed from installer-created folders.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2759

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all endpoints running GStreamer and identify installations deployed through the affected installer.
Restrict permissions on GStreamer installation directories so only administrative accounts have write access.
Limit local logon rights on affected systems to reduce the population of accounts capable of exploiting the flaw.
Review the ZDI-25-268 advisory for vendor guidance and updated installer availability.

Patch Information

At the time of the last NVD update on 2026-06-17, no vendor advisory URL is listed in the CVE record. Administrators should consult the Zero Day Initiative advisory ZDI-25-268 and the upstream GStreamer project for the latest installer release that corrects the directory permission assignment.

Workarounds

Manually tighten NTFS or POSIX ACLs on GStreamer installation folders to remove write permissions for standard users.
Reinstall GStreamer under a dedicated administrative path that is not user-writable and validate ACL inheritance.
Apply application allowlisting to prevent execution of unsigned binaries from GStreamer directories.
Remove GStreamer from systems where it is not required until a corrected installer is available.

bash

# Example: audit and remediate directory permissions on Linux hosts
# Identify world- or group-writable files under the GStreamer install path
find /opt/gstreamer -perm /o+w -o -perm /g+w -ls

# Restrict ownership and permissions to root
chown -R root:root /opt/gstreamer
chmod -R go-w /opt/gstreamer