# CVE-2025-36611: Path traversal in Encryption

> A local attacker can exploit improper link resolution to escalate privileges in Dell Encryption and Security Management Server.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 30 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-44r2-3246-r77p

## What is CVE-2025-36611?

CVE-2025-36611 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dell Encryption, published on 30 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server, versions prior to 11.11.0, contain an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') Vulnerability. A local malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to privilege escalation.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-36611?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Dell Encryption, Dell Security Management Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-36611?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-36611 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-36611 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36611 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Dell Encryption

- [CVE-2025-36564](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36564/): Privilege escalation in Encryption Admin Utilities (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-15766](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15766/): Dell Encryption and Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise Security Policy Overwrite Vulnerability (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2025-46637](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46637/): Path traversal in Dell Encryption (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2023-32479](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32479/): Privilege escalation in Dell Encryption (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2020-5385](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5385/): Privilege escalation in Dell Encryption Enterprise (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-36611 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-36611 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dell Encryption, published on 30 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36611 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dell Encryption. 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-2025-36611/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36611/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-36611
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-36611
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-36611

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36611/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.