CVE-2025-43079 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) found in the Qualys Cloud Agent version 5.0 for Mac and Linux systems. The vulnerability stems from the bundled uninstall script (qagent_uninstall.sh), which invokes multiple system commands without specifying absolute paths and does not sanitize the $PATH environment variable. This insecure practice allows an attacker who already has root or sudo privileges to manipulate the $PATH environment variable to point to malicious executables. When the uninstall script runs with elevated privileges, it may inadvertently execute these malicious binaries instead of the intended system commands. This can lead to local privilege escalation or arbitrary command execution under elevated privileges. The vulnerability requires the uninstall script to be run with elevated privileges and user interaction to initiate the uninstall process. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.3, indicating medium severity, with attack vector local, attack complexity high, privileges required high, user interaction required, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated high. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The vulnerability highlights the importance of using absolute paths and sanitizing environment variables in scripts executed with elevated privileges to prevent exploitation.

For European organizations, exploitation of CVE-2025-43079 could result in unauthorized execution of arbitrary commands with elevated privileges, potentially compromising system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of security monitoring via the Qualys Agent, or persistence mechanisms installed by attackers. Organizations relying on Qualys Agent for vulnerability management and compliance monitoring may face gaps in their security posture if the agent is uninstalled or manipulated maliciously. The requirement for local elevated privileges limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where multiple users have sudo access or where insider threats exist. Critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and regulated sectors in Europe could be particularly impacted due to their reliance on continuous security monitoring and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable remotely, the consequences of successful exploitation warrant prompt attention.

To mitigate CVE-2025-43079, organizations should: 1) Avoid running the Qualys Agent uninstall script with elevated privileges unless absolutely necessary and ensure the $PATH environment variable is sanitized or reset to trusted directories before execution. 2) Modify or replace the uninstall script to use absolute paths for all system commands invoked, eliminating reliance on the $PATH variable. 3) Restrict sudo and root access to trusted administrators only and monitor for unusual privilege escalations or environment variable manipulations. 4) Implement application whitelisting and integrity monitoring on critical scripts and binaries to detect unauthorized changes. 5) Educate system administrators about the risks of untrusted search paths and the importance of secure scripting practices. 6) Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential compromises. 7) Monitor Qualys Inc. advisories for patches or updated uninstall scripts and apply them promptly once available. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on environment sanitization, script hardening, and access control specific to this vulnerability.