# CVE-2016-20025: ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional 3.5.3 Privilege Escalation via Insecure Permissions

> Authenticated users can escalate privileges by modifying executable files due to insecure file permissions in ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 8 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qphc-j6pg-2qrg

## What is CVE-2016-20025?

CVE-2016-20025 is a high-severity vulnerability in ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional, published on 15 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional 3.5.3 contains an insecure file permissions vulnerability that allows authenticated users to escalate privileges by modifying executable files. Attackers can leverage the Modify permission granted to the Authenticated Users group to replace executable binaries with malicious code for privilege escalation.

Weakness: CWE-552 (Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-20025?


## How do I fix CVE-2016-20025?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-20025 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-20025 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20025 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-20025 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-20025 is a high-severity vulnerability in ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional, published on 15 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20025 exists.

Affected product: ZKTeco ZKAccess Professional. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20025/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20025/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20025
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20025
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-20025

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20025/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.