CVE-2025-14490
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 · uneditedRealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware Exposed Dangerous Function Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of RealDefense SUPERAntiSpyware. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the SAS Core Service. The issue results from an exposed dangerous function. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-27659.
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 confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the SUPERAntiSpyware SAS Core Service due to an exposed dangerous function. An attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can leverage this flaw to escalate to SYSTEM context and execute arbitrary code.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 10.0.1280CVSS 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:3.0/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed SuperAntiSpyware versionOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check the application's About/Help section to find the exact version number installedAffected if Version is lower than 10.0.1280
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Identify SAS Core ServiceOpen Services (services.msc) and locate 'SAS Core Service' or run 'sc queryex type= service' via command prompt to enumerate running servicesAffected if The SAS Core Service exists and is installed on the system
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Verify service status and startup typeRun 'sc qc "SAS Core Service"' or check the service Properties in Services to see the current state and startup configurationAffected if Service is installed and running (regardless of startup type: Automatic, Manual, or Disabled)
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Check service executable path and permissionsRun 'sc qc "SAS Core Service"' to retrieve the binary path, then use icacls or File Explorer Security tab to examine ACLs on the executableAffected if Low-privileged users have write or modify permissions to the service binary or its containing directory
If SuperAntiSpyware version is below 10.0.1280 and the SAS Core Service is present, the environment is likely affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.0.1280
Apply vendor-supplied patches when available. Until a patch is released, restrict user access to the SAS Core Service and monitor for suspicious service interactions. Consider running the application with least privilege.
10.0.1280 or later
- Obtain SuperAntiSpyware version 10.0.1280 or later from the official RealDefense vendor website
- Ensure you download from the legitimate vendor source to avoid compromised installers
- Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
- Complete the upgrade process following the installer prompts
- Restart the system if prompted to ensure the SAS Core Service is properly updated
- Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 10.0.1280
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-14490 — 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-2025-14490 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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- 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
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