CVE-2025-24915: Tenable Nessus Agent · Incorrect Default Permissions
Affects Tenable Nessus AgentSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Mar 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.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Tenable Nessus Agent | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
- Upgrade Nessus Agent to version 10.8.3 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed.
- Audit all Windows hosts with Nessus Agent installed in non-default directories to verify and correct directory and sub-directory permissions, ensuring they follow the principle of least privilege.
- Restrict local user permissions on endpoints to prevent unauthorized directory modifications.
- Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious local privilege escalation attempts.
- Enforce strict access controls and user account management to minimize the number of users with local access.
- Regularly review and harden installation procedures to avoid non-default paths unless necessary, and document permission requirements.
- Conduct internal penetration testing focusing on local privilege escalation vectors to identify similar misconfigurations.
- Educate system administrators and security teams about the risks of improper directory permissions and the importance of patch management.
Description
When installing Nessus Agent to a non-default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.8.3 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.