# CVE-2025-36631: Local Privilege Escalation

> A local attacker can overwrite system files to gain SYSTEM privileges on Windows hosts running the Tenable Agent.

- **Severity:** High 8.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/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:** 13 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 13 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-858m-8rff-64hq

## What is CVE-2025-36631?

CVE-2025-36631 is a high-severity vulnerability in Tenable Agent, published on 13 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In Tenable Agent versions prior to 10.8.5 on a Windows host, it was found that a non-administrative user could overwrite arbitrary local system files with log content at SYSTEM privilege.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-36631?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tenable Nessus Agent.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-36631?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-36631 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-36631 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36631 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Tenable Agent

- [CVE-2026-15265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15265/): Tenable Agent Path Traversal Leading to Remote Code Execution (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2025-36633](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36633/): Local Privilege Escalation (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-36632](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36632/): Local Privilege Escalation (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-20117](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20117/): Privilege escalation in Nessus Agent (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2021-20118](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20118/): Privilege escalation in Nessus Agent (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-36631 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-36631 is a high-severity vulnerability in Tenable Agent, published on 13 Jun 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-2025-36631 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Tenable Agent. 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-2025-36631/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36631/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-36631
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-36631
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-36631

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36631/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.