CVE-2025-48982 Overview
CVE-2025-48982 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows. An attacker can gain elevated privileges if a system administrator is tricked into restoring a malicious file through the agent. The flaw is tracked under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, but yields high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Veeam published guidance in Veeam Knowledge Base Article KB4771.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants an attacker elevated privileges on the Windows host, enabling full compromise of the affected endpoint.
Affected Products
- Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
- Windows endpoints running vulnerable Veeam Agent versions
- Backup and recovery workflows that rely on administrator-initiated file restores
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-10-31 - CVE-2025-48982 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-48982
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in how Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows handles restore operations initiated by privileged users. When a system administrator restores a file crafted by an attacker, the agent processes it in a manner that allows the attacker's payload to inherit elevated privileges. The result is a local privilege escalation on the target host. Exploitation depends on the restore workflow being triggered by an account with administrative rights, which is common in enterprise backup operations. The classification under CWE-269 reflects improper enforcement of privilege boundaries during file restore handling.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper privilege management in the restore path. The agent does not sufficiently isolate or validate the content and execution context of files placed on disk during a restore. When an administrator restores attacker-controlled content, the file inherits execution privileges tied to the elevated restore session rather than the original user context.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker plants a malicious file within a backup set or convinces an administrator to restore a supplied file. Once the administrator initiates the restore, the payload executes with elevated privileges. Consult the Veeam Knowledge Base Article KB4771 for vendor-provided technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48982
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected executables, scripts, or DLLs written to disk by Veeam Agent restore operations.
- New privileged local accounts, service installations, or scheduled tasks created shortly after a restore job completes.
- Restore jobs initiated from unusual sources or referencing files outside standard backup content.
Detection Strategies
- Correlate Veeam Agent restore events with subsequent process creation events on the same host, particularly processes spawned by Veeam service accounts.
- Alert on child processes of Veeam Agent binaries that are not part of the expected backup and restore toolchain.
- Review file integrity monitoring output for restored files landing in sensitive directories such as System32, startup folders, or user profile AppData.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable Windows process creation auditing (Event ID 4688) and command-line logging on hosts running Veeam Agent.
- Forward Veeam Agent job logs and Windows Security logs to a central SIEM for correlation.
- Establish a baseline of expected restore activity so anomalous administrator-initiated restores stand out.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48982
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the fixed version of Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows as documented in Veeam KB4771.
- Restrict which accounts are permitted to initiate restore operations on production endpoints.
- Audit recent restore jobs for unexpected content or unusual initiators before patching completes.
Patch Information
Veeam has issued a security update addressing CVE-2025-48982. Refer to Veeam Knowledge Base Article KB4771 for the fixed build numbers and upgrade guidance. Apply the update to all Windows systems running Veeam Agent.
Workarounds
- Only restore files from backup sources whose integrity and origin are verified.
- Perform restores of untrusted content into isolated, non-privileged sandbox environments before returning data to production.
- Enforce least privilege on backup operator accounts and separate them from interactive administrator sessions.
- Enable application control policies to block execution of unexpected binaries from restore target directories.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
