# CVE-2025-7012: Cato Networks Linux Client Local Privilege Escalation via Symlink

> A local attacker can escalate privileges to root in the Cato Networks Linux Client by exploiting improper symbolic link handling.

- **Severity:** High 8.6 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/AU:Y/R:U/RE:M/U:Green`)
- **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:** 13 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 14 Jul 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pxpx-75qh-g8x5

## What is CVE-2025-7012?

CVE-2025-7012 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cato Client, published on 13 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

An issue in Cato Networks' CatoClient for Linux, before version 5.5, allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to root by exploiting improper symbolic link handling.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-7012?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-7012?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-7012 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-7012 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-7012 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-7012 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-7012 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cato Client, published on 13 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-2025-7012 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cato Client. 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-2025-7012/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7012/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-7012
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-7012
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-7012

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7012/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.