dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2025-32801

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Kea configuration and API directives can be used to load a malicious hook library. Many common configurations run Kea as root, leave the API entry points unsecured by default, and/or place the control sockets in insecure paths. This issue affects Kea versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.1, 2.6.0 through 2.6.2, and 2.7.0 through 2.7.8.

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

Kea DHCP server allows loading hook libraries through configuration and API directives. The vulnerability is exploitable due to default insecure settings: running as root, unsecured API endpoints, and control sockets in insecure paths. An attacker with access to the API or configuration could load a malicious hook library to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationRestrict API access, avoid running Kea as root, place control sockets in secure paths with restricted permissions, and audit hook library configurations.

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
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Kea DHCP server is installed and running
    Check for kea-dhcp4 or kea-dhcp6 processes: ps aux | grep kea or systemctl status kea-dhcp4
    Affected if Kea DHCP server is present on the system
  2. Check if Kea is running as root
    Inspect the process user: ps aux | grep kea-dhcp or check config for 'user' setting under Dhcp4 or Dhcp6 section
    Affected if The process runs as root or the configured user is root
  3. Inspect API endpoint configuration for lack of authentication
    Examine control-socket or http-settings in kea.conf: look for ControlSocket or HttpListener sections and verify if authentication/authorization is configured
    Affected if HTTP control channels have no authentication or are bound to unsecured interfaces (0.0.0.0)
  4. Verify control socket file permissions and path
    Check socket file locations in config (control-socket configuration) and their permissions: ls -la /path/to/socket or equivalent
    Affected if Control sockets reside in world-writable directories (e.g., /tmp) or have overly permissive access (777)
  5. Check for hook library loading configuration
    Search config for 'hooks-libraries' entries: grep -r 'hooks-libraries' /etc/kea/ or examine the Dhcp4/Dhcp6 config section
    Affected if Hook libraries are configured and loadable from user-controlled paths

A user is affected if Kea DHCP is running with any combination of root execution, unauthenticated API endpoints, insecure socket paths, and hook libraries are loadable through configuration or API access.

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

Restrict API access, avoid running Kea as root, place control sockets in secure paths with restricted permissions, and audit hook library configurations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Kea 2.7.9 or later in the 2.7.x branch (or the equivalent latest stable release in your current branch: 2.4.2+, 2.6.3+, or 2.7.9+)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Kea version using 'kea-dhcp4 --version' or 'kea-dhcp6 --version'
  2. 2. Based on your current version line, upgrade to the next available stable release in that branch (e.g., if on 2.7.x, upgrade to 2.7.9 or later)
  3. 3. Download the updated Kea packages from the official ISC website or your distribution's package repository
  4. 4. Stop the Kea service before upgrading: 'systemctl stop kea-dhcp4' and/or 'systemctl stop kea-dhcp6'
  5. 5. Install the upgraded packages using your system's package manager
  6. 6. Review and secure Kea configuration: ensure control sockets are in restricted directories (e.g., /var/run/kea), enable authentication for API endpoints, and avoid running Kea as root if possible
  7. 7. Start the Kea service and verify it operates normally: 'systemctl start kea-dhcp4' and/or 'systemctl start kea-dhcp6'
  8. 8. Monitor logs for any errors and confirm the new version is running
Caveat Review ISC release notes for the target version as minor version upgrades may include configuration changes or new features that could affect existing setups

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-32801 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
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