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Link Following (Symlink)Weakness · CWE-59

CVE-2025-4211

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-05-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability in QFileSystemEngine in the Qt corelib module on Windows which potentially allows Symlink Attacks and the use of Malicious Files. Issue originates from CVE-2024-38081. The vulnerability arises from the use of the GetTempPath API, which can be exploited by attackers to manipulate temporary file paths, potentially leading to unauthorized access and privilege escalation. The affected public API in the Qt Framework is QDir::tempPath() and anything that uses it, such as QStandardPaths with TempLocation, QTemporaryDir, and QTemporaryFile. This issue affects all version of Qt up to and including 5.15.18, from 6.0.0 through 6.5.8, from 6.6.0 through 6.8.1. It is fixed in Qt 5.15.19, Qt 6.5.9, Qt 6.8.2, 6.9.0

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

Windows symlink attack vulnerability in Qt's QFileSystemEngine where GetTempPath API returns predictable temporary directory paths that attackers can manipulate to create malicious symlinks, potentially achieving privilege escalation. Affects QDir::tempPath(), QStandardPaths, QTemporaryDir, and QTemporaryFile on Windows.

MitigationUpgrade Qt to version 5.15.19, 6.5.9, 6.8.2, or 6.9.0. For legacy systems, audit code using temporary file APIs and implement explicit path validation before file operations.

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
P
Scope
P

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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:P/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. Check Qt version in use
    Run 'qmake --version' or inspect the Qt DLL files in the application directory (e.g., Qt5Core.dll, Qt6Core.dll) to identify the installed Qt version
    Affected if Qt version is earlier than 5.15.19, 6.5.9, 6.8.2, or 6.9.0 on Windows
  2. Confirm Windows environment
    Verify the application runs on Windows by checking the operating system (systeminfo on Windows or os.name in Python)
    Affected if Running on Windows; this vulnerability only affects Windows implementations of Qt
  3. Identify use of affected APIs
    Search source code for calls to QDir::tempPath(), QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::TempLocation), QTemporaryDir, or QTemporaryFile
    Affected if Code uses any of these four Qt temporary file/directory APIs on Windows
  4. Check for symlink mitigation
    Inspect code that performs file operations in temporary directories; verify whether the application validates path ownership or checks for symlink presence before file creation
    Affected if No explicit path validation or symlink checks are performed before temporary file operations
  5. Audit temporary file creation patterns
    Review application logs, temp folder contents, or instrument the application to observe where temporary files are created and whether they rely on predictable paths
    Affected if Temporary files are created in the default system temp path without additional randomness or validation

A user is affected if they run a Qt application on Windows with a version earlier than the fixed releases and the application uses QDir::tempPath(), QStandardPaths, QTemporaryDir, or QTemporaryFile without additional path validation.

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 Qt to version 5.15.19, 6.5.9, 6.8.2, or 6.9.0. For legacy systems, audit code using temporary file APIs and implement explicit path validation before file operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Qt 5.15.19, Qt 6.5.9, Qt 6.8.2, or Qt 6.9.0 (depending on current major version)

  1. Identify the current Qt version in use by checking project files (e.g., .pro file, CMakeLists.txt, or installed Qt version)
  2. Determine which Qt major version line is being used (5.15.x, 6.5.x, or 6.8.x)
  3. For Qt 5.15.x users: Upgrade to Qt 5.15.19
  4. For Qt 6.0.0-6.5.x users: Upgrade to Qt 6.5.9
  5. For Qt 6.6.0-6.8.x users: Upgrade to Qt 6.8.2 (or 6.9.0 for latest)
  6. Update the Qt version in the project's dependency manager or download the new version from qt.io
  7. Rebuild the application with the new Qt version
  8. Test the application, particularly functionality that uses QDir::tempPath(), QStandardPaths with TempLocation, QTemporaryDir, or QTemporaryFile

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,840
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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-2025-4211 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data