The vulnerability CVE-2025-53841 affects the GC-AGENTS-SERVICE component of the Akamai Guardicore Platform Agent on Windows systems prior to versions 49.20.1, 50.15.0, 51.12.0, and 52.2.0. The service attempts to read an OpenSSL configuration file (openssl.cnf) from a directory where standard Windows users have default write permissions, which is a critical security oversight. An attacker with local, unprivileged access can exploit this by creating a malicious openssl.cnf file in that location. This crafted configuration file can specify a path to a custom DLL in an OpenSSL engine definition, which the service loads and executes with the Guardicore Agent's privileges. Since the Guardicore Agent runs with SYSTEM-level privileges, this results in a full privilege escalation from a low-privileged user to SYSTEM. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-829, indicating the inclusion of functionality from an untrusted control sphere. The attack requires local access but no user interaction, and the complexity is low due to the writable location and the straightforward DLL hijacking technique. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 reflects high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and privileges required. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk if exploited.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a serious risk of local privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers who have gained limited local access (e.g., via phishing, insider threat, or other initial footholds) to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. This can lead to full system compromise, unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of services, and lateral movement within networks. Organizations relying on the Akamai Guardicore Platform Agent for endpoint security or micro-segmentation could see their security posture severely undermined. The impact is particularly critical in sectors with high-value targets such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, where SYSTEM-level compromise can result in data breaches, operational disruption, and regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the urgency of mitigation given the ease of exploitation and high privileges gained.

European organizations should immediately verify their deployment of the Akamai Guardicore Platform Agent and identify affected versions prior to v49.20.1, v50.15.0, v51.12.0, and v52.2.0. Since no official patches are linked, organizations should: 1) Restrict write permissions on the directory where the OpenSSL configuration file is read to prevent unprivileged users from placing malicious files. 2) Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for suspicious DLL loading or configuration file modifications related to the Guardicore Agent. 3) Limit local user access rights and enforce the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of local exploitation. 4) Monitor logs for unusual activity from the Guardicore Agent process or unexpected DLL loads. 5) Engage with Akamai support for official patches or updates and apply them promptly once available. 6) Consider network segmentation and multi-factor authentication to reduce the likelihood of initial local access. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling the writable location, monitoring for exploitation signs, and minimizing local user privileges.