Hardened ImagesApplication · Redhat
CVE-2025-14821
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 · uneditedA flaw was found in libssh. This vulnerability allows local man-in-the-middle attacks, security downgrades of SSH (Secure Shell) connections, and manipulation of trusted host information, posing a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of SSH communications via an insecure default configuration on Windows systems where the library automatically loads configuration files from the C:\etc directory, which can be created and modified by unprivileged local users.
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 confidencelibssh on Windows has an insecure default configuration that automatically loads SSH configuration files from the C:\etc directory. Because unprivileged local users can create and modify files in this directory, an attacker can manipulate SSH connection settings, perform security downgrades, and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against SSH communications.
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
Hardened ImagesApplication
all versions< 0.12.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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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Identify the installed libssh versionRun 'ssh -V' or check the DLL/file version of libssh on the system. On Windows, you can also check the properties of the libssh DLL or use a package manager query if installed via package managers.Affected if The installed version is Libssh Libssh less than 0.12.0, or you are using a Redhat Hardened Image (all versions are affected).
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Confirm the operating system is WindowsRun 'systeminfo' or check the OS name. This vulnerability specifically affects libssh on Windows platforms.Affected if The system is running Windows and uses libssh for SSH connections.
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Check if C:\etc directory existsOpen Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'dir C:\etc' or 'Test-Path C:\etc' to check if this directory exists on the Windows system.Affected if The C:\etc directory exists on the Windows system.
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Verify C:\etc directory permissions for unprivileged usersRun 'icacls C:\etc' or check the Security tab in the folder properties to see if standard (non-admin) users have Write or Create permissions to this directory.Affected if Standard non-administrator users have Write, Modify, or Create permissions to C:\etc, allowing them to place malicious config files.
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Inspect SSH configuration files in C:\etcList files in C:\etc directory (e.g., 'dir C:\etc\*ssh*' or 'Get-ChildItem C:\etc\*ssh*') to see if any SSH config files such as ssh_config, known_hosts, or identity files exist there.Affected if SSH configuration files or keys are present in the C:\etc directory, indicating the application may be loading them.
You are affected if you are running libssh on Windows with version less than 0.12.0 (or using Redhat Hardened Images) and the C:\etc directory is writable by unprivileged users, allowing them to inject malicious SSH configuration.
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 · scoped0.12.0
The fix requires changing the default configuration file path to a protected directory (such as %ProgramFiles%\libssh or a system-protected location) that is not writable by unprivileged users, and/or adding validation checks before loading configuration files.
libssh 0.12.0 or later
- Identify all systems and applications using libssh on Windows
- Verify current libssh version by checking library binary or package manager (e.g., dpkg, rpm, or file properties)
- Upgrade libssh to version 0.12.0 or later from the official source (www.libssh.org) or your distribution's package repository
- For containerized Hardened Images: rebuild images with updated libssh package
- After upgrade, verify the new version is loaded correctly and confirm C:\etc directory is no longer used as a default configuration path
- Test SSH functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing operations
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Hardened Images
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,992.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-14821 — 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-2025-14821 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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