CVE-2025-32462: Sudo Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-32462 Overview

Sudo before 1.9.17p1, when used with a sudoers file that specifies a host that is neither the current host nor ALL, allows listed users to execute commands on unintended machines.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability permits unauthorized command execution across unintended systems, potentially leading to high-severity security breaches.

Affected Products

• sudo_project sudo

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-30 - CVE CVE-2025-32462 published to NVD
• 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-32462

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-32462 is a result of improper host specification in the sudoers file. If a host is specified incorrectly, users can gain permissions to execute commands on unintended machines, bypassing standard security checks.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the misconfiguration in the sudoers file that fails to accurately verify host specifications, allowing permissions to leak to unintended systems.

Attack Vector

Local attack vector allowing exploitation via local access to a misconfigured system containing the vulnerable sudoers file.

# Sample sudoers entry leading to vulnerability
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-32462

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexplained command executions
• Unexpected host connections
• Unusual privilege escalations

Detection Strategies

Employ configuration checks for sudoers files to ensure all host fields are correctly specified and aligned with intended operational limits.

Monitoring Recommendations

Implement log analysis with a focus on tracking sudo command executions and host activity to identify anomalies.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-32462

Immediate Actions Required

• Review and correct sudoers file configurations
• Restrict sudo access to essential users only
• Reinforce user authentication mechanisms

Patch Information

Apply the security update from sudo_project as recommended in their security advisories.

Workarounds

Enforce strict host-based access controls and regularly audit the sudoers file to ensure compliance with security policies.

# Example mitigation configuration
Defaults !requiretty
%admin ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL