CVE-2025-66004 is a path traversal vulnerability classified under CWE-35 found in usbmuxd, a daemon used by the libimobiledevice project to facilitate communication between iOS devices and Linux systems. The flaw arises from insufficient validation of file paths containing sequences such as '.../...//', which can be manipulated by a local attacker to traverse directories outside the intended scope. This improper sanitization allows an attacker with local access to escalate privileges to those of the usbmuxd service user, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive files or executing code with elevated rights. The vulnerability affects all versions of usbmuxd prior to the commit 3ded00c9985a5108cfc7591a309f9a23d57a8cba, indicating it is a recent discovery. The attack vector is local, requiring no authentication or user interaction, which means any local user with access to the system can attempt exploitation. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:L/SA:L) reflects a medium severity with limited confidentiality and integrity impact, no availability impact, and low attack complexity. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a risk in multi-user environments or systems where local user accounts are not tightly controlled. The lack of patch links suggests a fix is pending or recently committed but not yet widely distributed.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-66004 primarily concerns environments where usbmuxd is deployed, such as development workstations, testing labs, or production systems interfacing with iOS devices on Linux. Successful exploitation could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges to the usbmuxd service user, potentially leading to unauthorized access to device communication data or system files accessible by that user. This could compromise confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data, especially in organizations handling personal or proprietary information on iOS devices. Although the vulnerability does not allow remote exploitation, insider threats or compromised local accounts could leverage it to deepen system access. The medium severity score indicates moderate risk, but in regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, or government within Europe, even local privilege escalation can have significant compliance and operational consequences. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, particularly as patches are not yet widely available.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict local system access to trusted users only, minimizing the number of accounts with physical or remote shell access. 2) Monitor and audit usage of usbmuxd and related processes for unusual activity or unauthorized access attempts. 3) Apply the patch or update to usbmuxd immediately once the fix corresponding to commit 3ded00c9985a5108cfc7591a309f9a23d57a8cba is released and verified. 4) Employ filesystem access controls and mandatory access control (MAC) frameworks like AppArmor or SELinux to limit usbmuxd's file system permissions and prevent unauthorized file access. 5) Use containerization or sandboxing for environments running usbmuxd to isolate potential exploitation impact. 6) Educate local users about the risks of privilege escalation vulnerabilities and enforce strong local account security policies, including unique passwords and minimal privileges. 7) Regularly review and update security policies governing device management and local user privileges to reduce attack surface.