# CVE-2025-54866: Wazuh installation fails to protected authd.pass on Windows

> Local authenticated users can read the authd.pass file due to missing ACLs, exposing sensitive credentials in Wazuh Windows installations.

- **Severity:** Low 1.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Nov 2025
- **Updated:** 21 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mvfx-ph7m-qm37

## What is CVE-2025-54866?

CVE-2025-54866 is a low-severity vulnerability in Wazuh Wazuh, published on 21 Nov 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

Wazuh is a free and open source platform used for threat prevention, detection, and response. From version 4.3.0 to before 4.13.0, a missing ACL on "C:\Program Files (x86)\ossec-agent\authd.pass" exposes the password to all "Authenticated Users" on the local machine. This issue has been patched in version 4.13.0.

Weakness: CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-54866?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wazuh Wazuh.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-54866?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-54866 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-54866 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-54866 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Wazuh Wazuh

- [CVE-2025-24016](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24016/): Wazuh Server Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-32038](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32038/): Wazuh Analysis Engine Event Decoder Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-44079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44079/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-1243](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-1243/): Remote code execution and local privilege escalation in Wazuh Windows agent via NetNTLMv2 hash theft (critical 9.5)
- [CVE-2026-61800](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-61800/): Wazuh cluster worker file sync allows arbitrary file write under /var/ossec (incomplete fix for CVE-2026-30893) (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-54866 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-54866 is a low-severity vulnerability in Wazuh Wazuh, published on 21 Nov 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-2025-54866 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Wazuh Wazuh. 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-2025-54866/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-54866/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-54866
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54866
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-54866

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-54866/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.