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Improper Access ControlWeakness · CWE-284

CVE-2025-10491

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The MongoDB Windows installation MSI may leave ACLs unset on custom installation directories allowing a local attacker to introduce executable code to MongoDB's process via DLL hijacking. This issue affects MongoDB Server v6.0 version prior to 6.0.25, MongoDB Server v7.0 version prior to 7.0.21 and MongoDB Server v8.0 version prior to 8.0.5

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The MongoDB Windows MSI installer fails to set proper Access Control Lists (ACLs) on custom installation directories, allowing a local authenticated attacker to place malicious DLLs that MongoDB's process will load through DLL hijacking, leading to code execution in the context of the MongoDB service.

MitigationUpgrade MongoDB Server to version 6.0.25+, 7.0.21+, or 8.0.5+ as appropriate. For systems that cannot be immediately upgraded, audit installation directory permissions to ensure only privileged users have write access.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify MongoDB Server version
    Run 'mongod --version' or check the installed version through Windows Programs and Features
    Affected if Installed version is earlier than 6.0.25, 7.0.21, or 8.0.5 respectively for each major release line
  2. Determine if custom installation directory was used
    Check the MongoDB installation path in the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\MongoDB\Server\<version>\InstallPath, or right-click the MongoDB service and view the path to the executable
    Affected if A non-default installation directory was chosen during initial setup (not the Program Files default)
  3. Review ACLs on the MongoDB installation directory
    Right-click the MongoDB installation folder in Windows Explorer, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and inspect which users and groups have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Any non-privileged user account or group (besides Administrators and SYSTEM) has Write or Modify access to the MongoDB installation directory
  4. Scan for unauthorized DLLs in the installation directory
    Open the MongoDB installation folder and examine all .dll files. Compare against expected MongoDB DLLs or use a file integrity monitoring tool
    Affected if Unexpected or newly created DLL files are present in the MongoDB bin directory that were not part of a legitimate MongoDB installation
  5. Check MongoDB service execution context
    Open Services, find the MongoDB service, right-click and select Properties, then note the logged-on user account (often LocalSystem by default)
    Affected if The service runs under a high-privilege account (such as LocalSystem) and the installation directory is writable by lower-privileged users

The environment is affected if MongoDB Server version is before 6.0.25/7.0.21/8.0.5 AND a custom installation directory with overly permissive ACLs exists, allowing an authenticated local user to inject malicious DLLs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade MongoDB Server to version 6.0.25+, 7.0.21+, or 8.0.5+ as appropriate. For systems that cannot be immediately upgraded, audit installation directory permissions to ensure only privileged users have write access.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.0.25 (for v6.0 users), 7.0.21 (for v7.0 users), or 8.0.5 (for v8.0 users)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed MongoDB Server version by running 'mongod --version' or checking Add/Remove Programs
  2. 2. Determine which major version series you are running (v6.0, v7.0, or v8.0)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from MongoDB's official download center: https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community
  4. 4. For v6.0 users: upgrade to version 6.0.25 or later
  5. 5. For v7.0 users: upgrade to version 7.0.21 or later
  6. 6. For v8.0 users: upgrade to version 8.0.5 or later
  7. 7. Before upgrading, backup your MongoDB data directories and configuration files
  8. 8. Stop the MongoDB service using 'net stop MongoDB' or via Windows Services
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply - review MongoDB upgrade documentation for your version path, especially for jumping between major versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-10491 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data