CVE-2025-53900VulnerabilityPublished 29 Nov 2025Updated 1 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-53900: kiteworks security-advisories · Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions

Affects kiteworks security-advisoriesSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium : upgrade to 9.1.0 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 66% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 9.1.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Nov 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 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade kiteworks/security-advisories to 9.1.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubkiteworks/security-advisories`pkg:github/kiteworks/security-advisories`Other threats	Affected <9.1.0	Fixed in 9.1.0

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

1. Immediate upgrade of Kiteworks MFT installations to version 9.1.0 or later to apply the official patch addressing the privilege escalation vulnerability. 2. Conduct a thorough audit of user roles and permissions within Kiteworks MFT, ensuring the principle of least privilege is enforced, especially for users managing Connections. 3. Implement strict access controls and segmentation for administrative functions related to file transfer workflows to limit exposure. 4. Monitor logs and alerts for unusual privilege changes or access patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 5. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users with elevated privileges to reduce risk of credential compromise. 6. Regularly review and update security policies governing file transfer operations to incorporate lessons learned from this vulnerability. 7. Consider network-level restrictions to limit access to Kiteworks MFT management interfaces only to trusted administrative hosts. 8. Train administrators and security teams on recognizing and responding to privilege escalation indicators within the platform.

Description

Kiteworks MFT orchestrates end-to-end file transfer workflows. Prior to version 9.1.0, an unfavourable definition of roles and permissions in Kiteworks MFT on managing Connections could lead to unexpected escalation of privileges for authorized users. This issue has been patched in version 9.1.0.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-53900 is the risk of unauthorized privilege escalation within Kiteworks MFT environments, which can lead to unauthorized modification or disruption of critical file transfer workflows. This can undermine data integrity, potentially allowing malicious actors or insider threats to alter, reroute, or manipulate sensitive data transfers without detection. Given the role of MFT solutions in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, such integrity breaches could result in compliance violations, data mishandling, and operational disruptions. The absence of confidentiality and availability impacts limits the scope to integrity, but the potential for unauthorized administrative control elevates the risk profile. European entities with stringent data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) may face legal and reputational consequences if such vulnerabilities are exploited. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a foothold for further lateral movement within networks, increasing overall organizational risk.

CWE-267Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
A particular privilege, role, capability, or right can be used to perform unsafe actions that were not intended, even when it is assigned to the correct entity.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Operation · Environment Hardening
Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Restful Privilege Elevation (opens in a new tab)
Probe Audio and Video Peripherals (opens in a new tab)
Collect Data from Clipboard (opens in a new tab)
Identify Shared Files/Directories on System (opens in a new tab)
Collect Data from Screen Capture (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

github.com/kiteworks/security-advisories/security/advisories/GHSA-gjq3-8v6p-2h6h (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Dec 2025, 04:31 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-267

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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