CVE-2025-13176
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 · uneditedPlanting a custom configuration file in ESET Inspect Connector allow load a malicious DLL.
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 confidenceESET Inspect Connector allows loading of a malicious DLL by planting a custom configuration file, enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability leverages the application's config file loading mechanism to trigger DLL search order hijacking or injection.
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
- Authentication
- X
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify ESET Inspect Connector is installedCheck for ESET Inspect Connector in installed programs list (Windows: Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or via 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell; Linux: check /opt/eset or package manager listings)Affected if The product is not installed on the system
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Identify installed versionLocate the connector executable (typically in Program Files\ESET\Inspect Connector or /opt/eset/inspect) and query its version using 'Get-ItemProperty' or 'file' command, or check registry for version informationAffected if Version cannot be determined or is within an affected release range (compare to vendor advisory)
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Locate configuration directoriesSearch for configuration files used by ESET Inspect Connector (common locations: %PROGRAMDATA%\ESET\Inspect\Connector\, %APPDATA%\ESET\Inspect\, or /etc/eset-inspect/)Affected if Configuration directories do not exist or cannot be located
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Check write permissions on config directoriesReview file system permissions on identified configuration directories to determine if unprivileged users can write files (Windows: use icacls; Linux: use ls -la with appropriate path)Affected if Unprivileged users have write access to configuration directories, allowing DLL planting
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Inspect for unexpected DLL filesExamine configuration directories for newly created or unexpected DLL files that may have been planted (use directory listing commands to review all files)Affected if Unexpected DLL files are present in configuration directories
A system is affected if ESET Inspect Connector is installed, its version falls within the affected range, and configuration directories are writable by unprivileged users, enabling DLL search order hijacking via planted configuration files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataRestrict write access to configuration directories, implement code signing for DLLs and configuration files, and validate configuration file integrity before loading.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-13176 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-13176 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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