# CVE-2025-14405: PDFsam Enhanced Uncontrolled Search Path Element Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> A local attacker can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by mounting a malicious drive, exploiting an unsecured OpenSSL configuration file load path.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.6 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 30 Dec 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8x2p-mrrr-2rf4

## What is CVE-2025-14405?

CVE-2025-14405 is a medium-severity vulnerability in PDFsam Enhanced, published on 23 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

PDFsam Enhanced Uncontrolled Search Path Element Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows phyiscally-present attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of PDFsam Enhanced. An attacker must first obtain the ability to mount a malicious drive onto the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the configuration of OpenSSL. The product loads an OpenSSL configuration file from an unsecured location. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-27867.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-14405?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Pdfsam Enhanced.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-14405?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-14405 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-14405 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-14405 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in PDFsam Enhanced

- [CVE-2025-14401](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14401/): PDFsam Enhanced App Out-Of-Bounds Read Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2025-14403](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14403/): PDFsam Enhanced Launch Insufficient UI Warning Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2025-14402](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14402/): PDFsam Enhanced DOC File Insufficient UI Warning Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 7.0)
- [CVE-2025-14404](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14404/): PDFsam Enhanced XLS File Insufficient UI Warning Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 7.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-14405 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-14405 is a medium-severity vulnerability in PDFsam Enhanced, published on 23 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-14405 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: PDFsam Enhanced. 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-2025-14405/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14405/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-14405
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-14405
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-14405

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14405/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.