CVE-2025-26850: Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance · Incorrect Authorization
Affects Quest KACE Systems Management ApplianceSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.3 Critical.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
To mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2025-26850, European organizations should take immediate and specific actions beyond generic patching advice. First, verify the version of Quest KACE SMA in use and plan for an urgent upgrade to versions 14.0.97 or later, or 14.1.19 or later, as these contain fixes for the vulnerability. In the absence of available patches, restrict local access to managed endpoints by enforcing strict physical and logical access controls, including the use of endpoint protection platforms that monitor for privilege escalation attempts. Implement network segmentation to isolate critical systems managed by KACE SMA from less secure network zones, limiting the potential for lateral movement. Employ robust logging and monitoring to detect anomalous activities related to privilege escalation or unauthorized agent behavior. Additionally, review and tighten the permissions and roles assigned within the KACE SMA console to minimize the attack surface. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on endpoint management infrastructure to identify and remediate potential exploitation paths. Finally, maintain communication with Quest for timely updates and patches, and consider deploying compensating controls such as application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect and block exploitation attempts.
Description
The agent in Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) before 14.0.97 and 14.1.x before 14.1.19 potentially allows privilege escalation on managed systems.