dbcve.org
OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2025-10680

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
OpenVPN 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7_beta1 on POSIX based platforms allows a remote authenticated server to inject shell commands via DNS variables when --dns-updown is in use

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 · moderate confidence

OpenVPN 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7_beta1 on POSIX platforms contains a command injection vulnerability when the --dns-updown option is enabled. An authenticated remote OpenVPN server can inject arbitrary shell commands through DNS variables that get processed by DNS up/down scripts on the client, resulting in arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the up/down script.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenVPN 2.7.0 or later which contains the security fix. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable --dns-updown if not required, or review and restrict script-security settings to limit external script execution.

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Check OpenVPN version
    Run 'openvpn --version' or 'openvpn2 --version' to obtain the installed OpenVPN version number
    Affected if The version is 2.7_alpha1, 2.7_beta1, or any 2.7.x version between alpha1 and beta1 inclusive (vulnerable range)
  2. Locate OpenVPN configuration files
    Search for .ovpn, .conf, or config files in /etc/openvpn/, /etc/openvpn/client/, /etc/openvpn/server/, or user home directories using 'find /etc/openvpn -name "*.conf" -o -name "*.ovpn"'
    Affected if Configuration files exist that may contain the --dns-updown directive
  3. Check for --dns-updown option
    Grep all OpenVPN configuration files for the string 'dns-updown' using 'grep -r "dns-updown" /etc/openvpn/' or review each config file manually
    Affected if The option 'dns-updown' or 'dns updown' is present and enabled in any configuration file
  4. Identify DNS up/down scripts
    Look for 'up' or 'down' script directives in config files, often specified as 'script-security 2' with 'up /path/to/script' or 'down /path/to/script', and examine what scripts handle DNS variables
    Affected if An up or down script is configured to execute and processes DNS-related environment variables (common variables include foreign_option_1, foreign_option_2, etc.)
  5. Verify script-security level
    Check configuration files for 'script-security' setting using grep; level 2 or higher allows external scripts to execute
    Affected if script-security is set to 2 or higher while --dns-updown is enabled, indicating external scripts can run and be exploited

Your environment is affected if you are running OpenVPN 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7_beta1 with the --dns-updown option enabled and a configured DNS up/down script, allowing a remote authenticated server to inject commands via DNS variables.

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 to OpenVPN 2.7.0 or later which contains the security fix. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable --dns-updown if not required, or review and restrict script-security settings to limit external script execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

OpenVPN 2.7.0 or later stable release (2.7.1+ if available)

  1. 1. Identify the OpenVPN version currently installed: openvpn --version
  2. 2. If version is between 2.7_alpha1 and 2.7_beta1 inclusive, plan for upgrade
  3. 3. Obtain OpenVPN 2.7.0 or later stable release from https://openvpn.net/community-downloads/
  4. 4. Backup current OpenVPN configuration files (typically in /etc/openvpn/)
  5. 5. Stop the OpenVPN service: sudo systemctl stop openvpn (or equivalent for your init system)
  6. 6. Upgrade OpenVPN package using your system's package manager or compile from source
  7. 7. Verify new version: openvpn --version
  8. 8. Test OpenVPN connections, particularly any that use --dns-updown option
Caveat Review --dns-updown script configurations after upgrade as security hardening may affect existing custom scripts

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2025-10680 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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