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Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-77

CVE-2025-1549

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-10-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
65/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client on Windows enables a local user to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges on the Windows system. This vulnerability is an additional unmitigated attack path for CVE-2024-4944. This vulnerability is resolved in the Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows version 12.11.5

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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows allows a local authenticated user to execute arbitrary commands with SYSTEM-level privileges. This vulnerability represents an additional attack path that was not addressed in the previous patch for CVE-2024-4944, likely involving insufficient access controls or privilege separation in the VPN client software.

MitigationUpgrade WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows to version 12.11.5 or later to address the vulnerability. As this is a local privilege escalation requiring local system access, ensure proper endpoint access controls and monitoring are in place until the patch is applied.

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:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/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 checks

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

  1. Verify WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*WatchGuard*"}' in PowerShell to list installed WatchGuard software
    Affected if WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows is not present in the installed programs list
  2. Determine installed version of the VPN client
    In Programs and Features, locate WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL and note the version column; alternatively, check the executable properties at C:\Program Files\WatchGuard\mobile vpn\ or the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{WatchGuard VPN GUID}
    Affected if The displayed version is lower than 12.11.5 (e.g., 12.11.4, 12.10.x, or earlier)
  3. Confirm the VPN client service or driver is active
    Open Services (services.msc) and look for 'WatchGuard Mobile VPN' or run 'Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*WatchGuard*"}' in PowerShell to check if the VPN service is running
    Affected if The service exists and is running, indicating the vulnerable component is active on the system
  4. Check for recent privilege escalation indicators
    Review Windows Event Viewer Security logs for Event ID 4688 (process creation) with unusual parent processes (e.g., cmd.exe or powershell.exe spawned by VPN client processes) or audit the C:\Program Files\WatchGuard\mobile vpn\ directory for modifications to configuration files or unexpected executables
    Affected if Unexpected child processes spawned from VPN components or unauthorized changes to VPN configuration files exist

If WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL for Windows is installed and the installed version is below 12.11.5 with the service actively running, the system is affected by this local privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows to version 12.11.5 or later to address the vulnerability. As this is a local privilege escalation requiring local system access, ensure proper endpoint access controls and monitoring are in place until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows version 12.11.5

  1. Verify the current installed version of WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL client on the Windows system
  2. Navigate to the WatchGuard support portal or software download page at www.watchguard.com
  3. Download the Mobile VPN with SSL client for Windows version 12.11.5 or later
  4. Close any running instances of the Mobile VPN client
  5. Uninstall the existing Mobile VPN with SSL client through Windows Settings > Apps or Programs and Features
  6. Install the newly downloaded version 12.11.5 by running the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  7. Restart the system if prompted
  8. Verify the new version is installed correctly and the client functions properly

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-2025-1549 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