# CVE-2025-46636: Path traversal in Dell Encryption

> A local low-privileged attacker can exploit improper link resolution to tamper with information in Dell Encryption.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.6 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/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:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 9 Dec 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5rxr-fvx4-fr86

## What is CVE-2025-46636?

CVE-2025-46636 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dell Encryption, published on 9 Dec 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, versions prior to 11.12.1, contain an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Information tampering.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-46636?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Dell Encryption.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-46636?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-46636 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-46636 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-46636 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-2025-36611](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36611/): Path traversal in Encryption (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2023-32479](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32479/): Privilege escalation in Dell Encryption (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-46636 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-46636 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dell Encryption, published on 9 Dec 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-2025-46636 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-2025-46636/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46636/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-46636
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-46636
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-46636

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46636/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.