CVE-2025-32801: ISC Kea · Code Injection
Affects ISC KeaSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 22% 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 28 May 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 2026-10-26.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| ISC Kea | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2025-32801, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit all Kea DHCP deployments to identify affected versions (2.4.0-2.4.1, 2.6.0-2.6.2, 2.7.0-2.7.8). 2) Restrict Kea execution privileges by running the service under a dedicated, non-root user with minimal permissions to limit the impact of any code injection. 3) Secure API entry points by implementing strong authentication and access controls, ensuring that only authorized administrators can interact with the API. 4) Relocate control sockets to secure filesystem paths with strict permissions to prevent unauthorized local access. 5) Monitor system logs and network activity for unusual behavior indicative of hook library loading or unauthorized API usage. 6) Engage with ISC for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and plan prompt deployment once available. 7) Consider network segmentation to isolate DHCP servers from untrusted users or systems, reducing the likelihood of local exploitation. 8) Implement host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect anomalous code injection attempts or unauthorized library loads. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration hardening, privilege reduction, and access control specific to Kea's architecture and the vulnerability's exploitation vectors.
Description
Kea configuration and API directives can be used to load a malicious hook library. Many common configurations run Kea as root, leave the API entry points unsecured by default, and/or place the control sockets in insecure paths. This issue affects Kea versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.1, 2.6.0 through 2.6.2, and 2.7.0 through 2.7.8.