CVE-2025-6723 identifies an improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-269) in Progress Software's Chef InSpec product up to version 5.23. Chef InSpec is a compliance automation tool widely used for infrastructure testing and auditing. The vulnerability arises because the software creates named pipes on Windows systems with overly permissive default access control lists (ACLs). Named pipes are IPC (inter-process communication) mechanisms that allow processes to communicate. If the ACLs are too permissive, a local attacker with low privileges can interfere with the pipe connection process. By doing so, the attacker may hijack the communication channel or impersonate the InSpec process, thereby assuming its execution context. This can lead to privilege escalation, where the attacker gains higher privileges than originally assigned, or cause operational disruption by interfering with InSpec's normal functioning. The CVSS 4.0 score is 5.8 (medium), reflecting that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), partial authentication (AT:P), and low privileges (PR:L). No user interaction is needed (UI:N), but the impact on integrity and availability is high (VI:H, VA:L). The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality significantly (VC:L). There are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches are currently linked, indicating that organizations should monitor vendor updates closely. The issue is specific to Windows environments running Chef InSpec up to version 5.23, so environments running later versions or non-Windows platforms are not affected. This vulnerability is relevant for organizations using Chef InSpec for compliance and infrastructure testing, especially in environments where multiple users have local access to Windows systems.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-6723 can be significant in environments where Chef InSpec is deployed on Windows systems. The vulnerability allows a local attacker with limited privileges to escalate their privileges by exploiting overly permissive named pipe ACLs. This can lead to unauthorized execution of commands or scripts with elevated privileges, potentially compromising system integrity and disrupting compliance auditing processes. Operational disruption could affect automated compliance checks, leading to gaps in security posture visibility and delayed detection of other security issues. Organizations in sectors with strict regulatory requirements—such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure—may face compliance risks if their auditing tools are compromised. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or compromised endpoints could leverage this vulnerability. Additionally, the lack of patches at the time of disclosure means organizations must rely on compensating controls until updates are available. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not critical, it poses a tangible risk that should be addressed promptly to prevent privilege escalation and maintain operational integrity.

1. Apply patches or updates from Progress Software as soon as they become available to address the named pipe ACL issue. 2. Restrict local user permissions on Windows systems running Chef InSpec to minimize the number of users who can access or interfere with named pipes. 3. Implement strict access control policies on Windows IPC mechanisms, including auditing and monitoring named pipe creation and access events via Windows Event Logs or SIEM solutions. 4. Use application whitelisting and endpoint protection tools to detect and prevent unauthorized attempts to hijack or interfere with InSpec processes. 5. Isolate systems running Chef InSpec in secure network segments with limited local user access to reduce the attack surface. 6. Conduct regular security reviews of compliance and auditing tools to ensure they follow the principle of least privilege. 7. Educate system administrators and DevOps teams about the risks of local privilege escalation vulnerabilities and the importance of timely patching. 8. Consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect anomalous process behavior related to named pipe manipulation. These measures, combined with vigilant monitoring, can reduce the risk until official patches are deployed.