CVE-2026-25770 Wazuh has Privilege Escalation to Root via Cluster Protocol File Write
Authenticated attackers can escalate privileges to root by overwriting configuration files via the cluster protocol, enabling remote code execution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-25770?
CVE-2026-25770 is a critical vulnerability in Wazuh Wazuh, published on 17 Mar 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Wazuh is a free and open source platform used for threat prevention, detection, and response. Starting in version 3.9.0 and prior to version 4.14.3, a privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Wazuh Manager's cluster synchronization protocol. The `wazuh-clusterd` service allows authenticated nodes to write arbitrary files to the manager’s file system with the permissions of the `wazuh` system user. Due to insecure default permissions, the `wazuh` user has write access to the manager's main configuration file (`/var/ossec/etc/ossec.conf`). By leveraging the cluster protocol to overwrite `ossec.conf`, an attacker can inject a malicious `<localfile>` command block. The `wazuh-logcollector` service, which runs as root, parses this configuration and executes the injected command. This chain allows an attacker with cluster credentials to gain full Root Remote Code Execution, violating the principle of least privilege and bypassing the intended security model. Version 4.14.3 fixes the issue.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-25770?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Wazuh Wazuh.
How do I fix CVE-2026-25770?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-25770 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-25770 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-25770 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Wazuh Wazuh
- CVE-2025-24016 Wazuh Server Deserialization of Untrusted Data
- CVE-2024-32038 Wazuh Analysis Engine Event Decoder Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2021-44079 Command injection in n/a
- CVE-2024-1243 Remote code execution and local privilege escalation in Wazuh Windows agent via NetNTLMv2 hash theft
- CVE-2026-61800 Wazuh cluster worker file sync allows arbitrary file write under /var/ossec (incomplete fix for CVE-2026-30893)
Sources
Also known as GHSA-r4f7-v3p6-79jm.