dbcve.org
Incorrect Default PermissionsWeakness · CWE-276

CVE-2025-15642

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-06-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
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
Netskope is notified about a potential gap in its Netskoped Client for Windows systems where a malicious insider with admin privileges can lead to bypassing the NSClient Tamper Protections due to weak Discretionary Access Control List (DACLs) on the service object and related registry keys,. * Product Name: Netskope Client * Affected Platform: Windows * Affected Version: All version below R138

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

The Netskope Client for Windows contains weak Discretionary Access Control Lists (DACLs) on its service object and related registry keys. A malicious insider with administrator privileges can exploit these weak permissions to modify the NSClient service configuration or registry entries, effectively bypassing the built-in tamper protections designed to prevent modification of the security client.

MitigationUpgrade Netskope Client to version R138 or later to obtain the vendor patch that strengthens DACLs on the service object and registry keys. Alternatively, implement additional monitoring and access controls around the Netskope service and registry objects until the upgrade can be 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
High
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Netskope Client is installed
    Check for the presence of Netskope Client by looking in Program Files or querying the registry for the NSClient service using 'sc query NSClient' or reviewing installed programs.
    Affected if The NSClient service exists in the system services list, indicating Netskope Client is installed and the system could be vulnerable.
  2. Identify the installed Netskope Client version
    Query the version information from the Netskope Client executable, typically located in the program installation directory, or retrieve it from the Windows registry under the Netskope product keys.
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than R138, as versions prior to R138 contain the weak DACL vulnerability.
  3. Examine DACLs on the NSClient service object
    Use 'sc sdshow NSClient' or a similar command to retrieve the Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) of the service. Analyze the DACL entries to identify any non-administrative or overly permissive accounts granted write or full control permissions.
    Affected if The service DACL grants write or full control permissions to users or groups other than Administrators or SYSTEM, indicating weak permissions exist.
  4. Examine DACLs on Netskope-related registry keys
    Identify registry keys associated with the Netskope Client (typically under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NSClient or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Netskope) and inspect their permissions using 'Get-Acl' in PowerShell or regedit to view effective permissions.
    Affected if Registry keys related to the Netskope Client grant write or modify permissions to non-privileged users or groups, indicating weak DACLs.

A system is affected if it runs Netskope Client for Windows with a version earlier than R138 AND the NSClient service or its registry keys have overly permissive DACLs that allow modification by non-administrative users.

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 Netskope Client to version R138 or later to obtain the vendor patch that strengthens DACLs on the service object and registry keys. Alternatively, implement additional monitoring and access controls around the Netskope service and registry objects until the upgrade can be applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

R138

  1. Upgrade Netskope Client for Windows to version R138 or later to obtain the fixed DACLs on the service object and related registry keys

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2025-15642 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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