dbcve.org
Incorrect Permission AssignmentWeakness · CWE-732

CVE-2025-26168

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
86/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges 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
IXON VPN Client before 1.4.4 on Linux and macOS allows Local Privilege Escalation to root because there is code execution from a configuration file that can be controlled by a low-privileged user. There is a race condition in which a temporary configuration file, in a world-writable directory, can be overwritten.

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 IXON VPN Client before version 1.4.4 on Linux and macOS contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability. A low-privileged attacker can exploit a race condition by overwriting a temporary configuration file located in a world-writable directory, allowing arbitrary code execution with root privileges.

MitigationUpgrade the IXON VPN Client to version 1.4.4 or later. As an interim measure, ensure proper file permissions on directories used by the application and monitor for suspicious file modifications.

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Verify IXON VPN Client is installed
    On Linux: check for /opt/ixon-vpn or look for ixon-vpn in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin. On macOS: check /Applications for IXON VPN.app or run 'which ixon-vpn' in terminal
    Affected if The IXON VPN Client software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Run the client with --version flag or check the installed package version. On Linux: dpkg -l | grep ixon or rpm -qa | grep ixon. On macOS: right-click IXON VPN.app > Get Info or use 'mdls' command
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.4.4
  3. Identify temporary configuration file location
    Check the application's runtime directory for temporary config files. Look in /tmp, /var/tmp, or application-specific temp directories. Use 'find /tmp -user $USER -name "*config*" -o -name "*ixon*"' to locate IXON-related temp files
    Affected if A temporary configuration file exists in a world-writable directory (permissions 777)
  4. Verify directory permissions on temp locations
    Run 'ls -ld /tmp /var/tmp' and check for world-writable sticky bit. Also check any application-specific temp directories found in step 3
    Affected if The temporary directory lacks proper restrictions (not 1777 with sticky bit, or owned by root)
  5. Check for recent file modifications in temp directories
    Run 'ls -lat /tmp | head -20' or use audit logs to review recent file creations/modifications in temp directories related to IXON
    Affected if Temporary configuration files were recently modified by a non-root user after the application ran

A user is affected if IXON VPN Client version 1.4.4 or earlier is installed on Linux or macOS, and temporary configuration files are stored in world-writable directories without proper permissions.

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 the IXON VPN Client to version 1.4.4 or later. As an interim measure, ensure proper file permissions on directories used by the application and monitor for suspicious file modifications.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IXON VPN Client 1.4.4 (or latest stable release)

  1. Obtain the latest IXON VPN Client version 1.4.4 or later from the official vendor (https://www.ixon.cloud or https://support.ixon.cloud)
  2. Uninstall the current IXON VPN Client version from the Linux or macOS system
  3. Install the updated IXON VPN Client version 1.4.4 or newer
  4. Verify the installation completed successfully and confirm the version number matches 1.4.4 or higher

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,720.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-26168 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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