CVE-2025-32977
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 · uneditedQuest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) 13.0.x before 13.0.385, 13.1.x before 13.1.81, 13.2.x before 13.2.183, 14.0.x before 14.0.341 (Patch 5), and 14.1.x before 14.1.101 (Patch 4) allows unauthenticated users to upload backup files to the system. While signature validation is implemented, weaknesses in the validation process can be exploited to upload malicious backup content that could compromise system integrity.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated file upload vulnerability in Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance allows attackers to upload malicious backup files due to weaknesses in signature validation. The flaw enables remote compromise of system integrity without authentication.
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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Quest KACE SMA is presentAccess the web interface (typically https://<hostname>/smb/ or the login page). If the page shows KACE branding and login, this is a KACE Systems Management Appliance.Affected if The target is a Quest KACE SMA instance.
-
Identify the installed KACE versionLog into the KACE admin console and navigate to the About page (usually System > Settings > About) or check the footer of any admin page for the version number (format: X.Y.Z). Alternatively, check via command line: ssh to the appliance and run 'select * from system_info;' or view /opt/dell/kbox/var/system_version if accessible.Affected if The displayed version is any of: 13.0.x before 13.0.385, 13.1.x before 13.1.81, 13.2.x before 13.2.183, 14.0.x before 14.0.341, or 14.1.x before 14.1.101.
-
Verify the backup upload feature is accessibleIn the KACE admin console, navigate to the Backup/Restore or System Backup section (typically under Settings > Maintenance or Backup). Check if unauthenticated or low-privilege access can reach the backup upload endpoint. The vulnerability lies in the backup file upload functionality.Affected if The backup upload feature exists and accepts uploaded files without proper signature validation.
-
Confirm the signature validation weakness is exploitableAttempt to upload a test backup file (or inspect the backup upload endpoint behavior). The vulnerability is in the signature validation logic for backup files. If the system accepts uploaded backup files without rejecting those with invalid or missing signatures, the flaw is present.Affected if The system accepts backup file uploads without validating cryptographic signatures, allowing malicious backup files to be stored.
The environment is affected if it runs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance versions 13.0.x before 385, 13.1.x before 81, 13.2.x before 183, 14.0.x before 341, or 14.1.x before 101, and the backup upload feature permits files without proper signature validation.
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 · scopedApply vendor-provided patches: 13.0.385, 13.1.81, 13.2.183, 14.0.341 (Patch 5), or 14.1.101 (Patch 4) to remediate the signature validation weakness.
Upgrade to the version-specific minimum: 13.0.385, 13.1.81, 13.2.183, 14.0.341 (Patch 5), or 14.1.101 (Patch 4) - whichever corresponds to your current major version branch
- 1. Identify the current installed version of Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance by navigating to the SMA's admin interface and checking the System Overview or version information page.
- 2. Based on the current version, determine the minimum fixed version needed: For 13.0.x, upgrade to 13.0.385 or later; For 13.1.x, upgrade to 13.1.81 or later; For 13.2.x, upgrade to 13.2.183 or later; For 14.0.x, apply Patch 5 (14.0.341) or later; For 14.1.x, apply Patch 4 (14.1.101) or later.
- 3. Download the appropriate update/patch from Quest Support portal (support.quest.com) using valid customer credentials.
- 4. Before applying the upgrade, create a full backup of the SMA configuration and verify backup integrity.
- 5. Apply the update following Quest's standard upgrade procedures documented in the SMA Administration Guide - typically through the SMA's web interface under Settings > Maintenance or via the patch deployment feature.
- 6. After upgrade completion, verify the new version is correctly installed and confirm the signature validation improvements are in place by reviewing release notes for the specific patch.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-32977 — 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-2025-32977 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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