CVE-2025-69599: RayVentory Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-69599 Overview

CVE-2025-69599 affects Raynet RayVentory Scan Engine through version 12.6 Update 8. The vulnerability allows attackers to gain elevated privileges when they control the value of the PATH environment variable. The flaw is categorized as an uncontrolled search path element [CWE-427].

The issue is disputed. The ability of an attacker to control the environment is described as a site-specific misconfiguration rather than a product defect. Despite the dispute, the CVSS base score is 9.8 because the scoring assumes successful manipulation of the search path leads to code execution under the engine's privileges.

Critical Impact
An attacker who can influence the PATH environment variable on a host running RayVentory Scan Engine can hijack binary resolution and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the scan engine process.

Affected Products

Raynet RayVentory Scan Engine through 12.6 Update 8
Earlier RayVentory Scan Engine releases that resolve binaries via the system PATH
Deployments where non-privileged users can modify environment variables consumed by the scan engine

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-08 - CVE-2025-69599 published to NVD
2026-05-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-69599

Vulnerability Analysis

RayVentory Scan Engine invokes external binaries during inventory and scan operations. When the engine resolves these binary names through the PATH environment variable, an attacker who controls PATH can prepend a directory containing a malicious executable that matches the expected binary name.

When the scan engine runs with elevated privileges, the substituted binary executes in that security context. This results in privilege escalation on the host. The vulnerability is a classic uncontrolled search path element flaw and aligns with [CWE-427].

The disputed status reflects that controlling PATH typically requires either local access or a misconfigured deployment. In hardened environments where service environment variables are managed by administrators, the exposure is reduced. In environments where standard users can write to directories listed early in PATH, exploitation is straightforward.

Root Cause

The scan engine references external binaries by name rather than by absolute path. The operating system resolves the name by iterating directories listed in PATH and executing the first match. No allowlist, signature check, or canonical path enforcement is applied before execution.

Attack Vector

An attacker plants a malicious executable named after a binary the scan engine invokes. The attacker then ensures that the directory containing the malicious binary appears earlier in PATH than the legitimate directory. On the next scan engine execution, the malicious binary runs with the scan engine's privileges.

Technical details and a proof of concept are available in the GitHub PoC Repository. Vendor remediation guidance is documented in the Raynet Support Article.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-69599

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected executable files placed in directories that appear in the system or service PATH and share names with utilities invoked by the scan engine.
Modifications to user, service, or system environment variables that prepend writable directories to PATH.
Child processes spawned by the RayVentory Scan Engine that originate from non-standard or user-writable locations.

Detection Strategies

Audit process creation events for the scan engine and verify that child binaries resolve to expected installation paths.
Monitor registry and configuration changes that alter PATH for the account under which the scan engine runs.
Compare hashes of binaries executed by the scan engine against known-good baselines from the vendor.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable command-line and parent-process logging on hosts running RayVentory Scan Engine.
Alert on writes to directories that resolve through PATH for service accounts.
Review scheduled tasks and service definitions for environment variable overrides associated with the scan engine.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-69599

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade RayVentory Scan Engine to the fixed release identified in the Raynet Support Article.
Restrict permissions so that only administrators can modify the PATH environment variable for the scan engine service account.
Review every directory in PATH and remove any that are writable by non-privileged users.

Patch Information

Raynet has published remediation guidance under advisory RVY200865 covering RayVentory 12.6. Apply the vendor-supplied update and validate that the scan engine uses absolute paths or a controlled search path after upgrade.

Workarounds

Run the scan engine under a dedicated service account with a curated environment that excludes user-controlled directories from PATH.
Enforce application allowlisting so that only signed, vendor-supplied binaries can execute in the scan engine's process tree.
Remove write permissions on early PATH directories for all non-administrative principals.

bash

# Configuration example: inspect PATH for the service account on Windows
# Run as administrator in PowerShell
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path','Machine') -split ';' |
    ForEach-Object {
        $acl = Get-Acl $_ -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        [PSCustomObject]@{
            Directory = $_
            Writable  = ($acl.Access | Where-Object {
                $_.IdentityReference -match 'Users|Everyone|Authenticated Users'
            }).Count -gt 0
        }
    }