CVE-2025-59697: Improper Access Control
Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.2 High · fixed in 13.6.12 : patch affected systems soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 23% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 13.6.12
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Dec 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
- Restrict physical access to servers hosting Entrust nShield HSMs by enforcing strict access controls, surveillance, and secure facilities.
- Harden bootloader configurations by implementing secure boot mechanisms and protecting GRUB configuration files with appropriate permissions and integrity checks.
- Monitor and audit changes to bootloader configurations and system firmware to detect unauthorized modifications promptly.
- 5. Employ hardware security features such as TPM or UEFI Secure Boot where supported to prevent unauthorized bootloader tampering. 6. Conduct regular security training for administrators to recognize and prevent privilege escalation attempts. 7. Implement multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls to minimize the risk of privilege misuse. 8. Consider network segmentation and isolation of critical HSM hosts to reduce exposure. 9. Develop incident response plans that include scenarios involving physical tampering and privilege escalation.
Description
Entrust nShield Connect XC, nShield 5c, and nShield HSMi through 13.6.11, or 13.7 (patched in 13.6.12 (LTS) and 13.9.0 (STS)), allow a physically proximate attacker to escalate privileges by editing the Legacy GRUB bootloader configuration to start a root shell upon boot of the host OS. This is called F06.
References
- entrust.com/use-case/why-use-an-hsm (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/google/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-6q4x-m86j-gfwj (opens in a new tab)
- entrust.com/knowledgebase/hardware/understanding-nshield-security-advisory-september-2025 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-c2xm-xv33-q796 (opens in a new tab)