CVE-2025-14494VulnerabilityPublished 23 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-14494: RealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware · Exposed Dangerous Method or Function

Affects RealDefense SUPERAntiSpywareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

7.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 Dec 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Monitor RealDefense communications and security advisories closely for official patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-14494 and apply them promptly once available. 2. Restrict local code execution capabilities by enforcing strict application whitelisting and least privilege principles to reduce the risk of initial low-privileged code execution. 3. Implement robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect suspicious activities indicative of privilege escalation attempts. 4. Conduct regular audits of installed software versions across the enterprise to identify and inventory vulnerable instances of SUPERAntiSpyware. 5. Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 6. Educate users and administrators about the risks of executing untrusted code and the importance of maintaining updated endpoint protection software. 7. Consider temporary removal or replacement of the affected software if patching is not immediately possible, especially in high-risk environments. 8. Harden systems by disabling unnecessary services and functions that could be leveraged for local code execution or privilege escalation.

Description

CVE-2025-14494 is a high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability in RealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware version 10.0.1276 Free Edition. The flaw exists in the SAS Core Service due to an exposed dangerous function, allowing an attacker with low-privileged code execution to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. Exploitation does not require user interaction but does require prior local code execution. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling arbitrary code execution with full system privileges. No known exploits are currently in the wild. European organizations using this specific version of SUPERAntiSpyware are at risk, especially those with endpoints running this software. Mitigation requires patching or applying vendor fixes once available and restricting local code execution capabilities. Countries with higher adoption of RealDefense products and critical infrastructure using this software are more likely to be affected.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat, particularly to those using RealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware version 10.0.1276 Free Edition on their endpoints. Successful exploitation would allow attackers to gain SYSTEM-level privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of critical services, and the deployment of persistent malware or ransomware. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure are especially at risk due to the potential impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The requirement for local code execution means that initial compromise vectors could include phishing, exploitation of other local vulnerabilities, or insider threats. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate it, as attackers may develop exploits rapidly once the vulnerability is public. The impact is amplified in environments where endpoint protection software is widely deployed and trusted, as attackers could leverage this trust to bypass security controls.

Summary

CVE-2025-14494 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability identified in RealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition version 10.0.1276. The vulnerability stems from an exposed dangerous function within the SAS Core Service component. This flaw allows an attacker who already has the ability to execute code with low privileges on the affected system to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM level, effectively gaining full control over the system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-749, indicating that a dangerous method or function is exposed, which should not be accessible or callable by unprivileged users. The CVSS v3.0 score is 7.8, reflecting high severity due to the potential for complete system compromise (confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all high). Exploitation requires local access and low privileges but does not require user interaction, making it a significant risk if an attacker can execute code locally, for example, through another vulnerability or social engineering. The vulnerability was published on December 23, 2025, and no public exploits are known at this time. The lack of a patch link suggests that a fix may not yet be available, emphasizing the need for vigilance and interim mitigations. The SAS Core Service's exposed dangerous function could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM user, which is the highest privilege level on Windows systems. This could allow attackers to install malware, steal sensitive data, or disrupt system operations.

CWE-749Exposed Dangerous Method or Function (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: LowOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product provides an Applications Programming Interface (API) or similar interface for interaction with external actors, but the interface includes a dangerous method or function that is not properly restricted.
Architecture and Design
If you must expose a method, make sure to perform input validation on all arguments, limit access to authorized parties, and protect against all possible vulnerabilities.
Architecture and Design · Implementation · Attack Surface Reduction
Identify all exposed functionality. Explicitly list all functionality that must be exposed to some user or set of users. Identify which functionality may be: accessible to all users; restricted to a small set of privileged users; prevented from being directly accessible at all
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V14.5.1 (opens in a new tab)
V10.1.1 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
WebView Injection (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-1163/ (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 31 Dec 2025, 00:20 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-749

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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