CVE-2025-32977: Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance · Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature
Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.6 Critical · fixed in 14.1.101 : patch affected systems as a priority.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 14.1.101, 14.0.341, 13.2.183 +2
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Jun 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
AI-suggested
- Immediately apply the latest patches provided by Quest for all affected KACE SMA versions to remediate the vulnerability.
- Restrict network access to the KACE SMA management interface using firewalls and network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.
- Implement strict monitoring and alerting on backup file upload activities, including anomaly detection for unusual file sizes or upload times.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative access to the appliance to reduce the risk of unauthorized actions.
- Regularly audit backup files and system logs for signs of tampering or unauthorized uploads.
- If patching is delayed, consider disabling backup upload functionality or isolating the appliance in a secure network zone.
- Educate IT staff on the risks associated with this vulnerability and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving KACE SMA compromise.
- Review and harden cryptographic validation mechanisms where possible, and liaise with Quest support for any additional security recommendations.
Description
Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) 13.0.x before 13.0.385, 13.1.x before 13.1.81, 13.2.x before 13.2.183, 14.0.x before 14.0.341 (Patch 5), and 14.1.x before 14.1.101 (Patch 4) allows unauthenticated users to upload backup files to the system. While signature validation is implemented, weaknesses in the validation process can be exploited to upload malicious backup content that could compromise system integrity.
References
- support.quest.com/kb/4379499/quest-response-to-kace-sma-vulnerabilities-cve-2025-32975-cve-2025-32976-cve-2025-32977-cve-2025-32978 (opens in a new tab)
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jun/24 (opens in a new tab)
- seralys.com/research/CVE-2025-32977.txt (opens in a new tab)
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jun/25 (opens in a new tab)