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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-53394: Paramount Macrium Reflect · Uncontrolled Search Path Element

Source CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.7 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.7High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AC:L/AV:L/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:H/S:C/UI:R

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 4 Aug 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately restrict the handling and mounting of backup files (.mrimgx, .mrbax) to trusted sources only, and avoid opening backups received from unverified external parties. 2) Enforce strict directory permissions to prevent unauthorized users from placing executables in directories where backup files are stored or mounted. 3) Deploy application whitelisting or endpoint protection solutions that monitor and block execution of unexpected or renamed executables launched by backup software. 4) Educate administrators and users with elevated privileges on the risks of mounting untrusted backup files and the importance of verifying file origins. 5) Monitor logs and system behavior for unusual execution of processes initiated by Macrium Reflect, especially renamed executables like explorer.exe in backup directories. 6) Coordinate with Macrium Reflect vendor for timely patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and plan for rapid deployment once available. 7) Consider isolating backup operations in controlled environments or virtual machines to limit impact if exploitation occurs. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling the execution environment and user behavior specific to this vulnerability.

Description

Paramount Macrium Reflect through 2025-06-26 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with administrator privileges via a crafted .mrimgx or .mrbax backup file and a renamed executable placed in the same directory. When a user with administrative privileges opens the crafted backup file and proceeds to mount it, Reflect launches the renamed executable (e.g., explorer.exe), which is under attacker control. This occurs because of insufficient validation of companion files referenced during backup mounting.

References

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