CVE-2025-5718
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 · uneditedThe ACAP Application framework could allow privilege escalation through a symlink attack. This vulnerability can only be exploited if the Axis device is configured to allow the installation of unsigned ACAP applications, and if an attacker convinces the victim to install a malicious ACAP application.
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 confidenceThe ACAP Application framework in Axis devices contains a symlink attack vulnerability allowing privilege escalation. An attacker creates a malicious ACAP application that uses symlinks to escape application sandboxing and escalate privileges. Exploitation requires both a device configured to allow unsigned ACAP applications (non-default setting) and victim interaction to install the malicious application.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.30CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Axis OS versionAccess the device web interface and navigate to System > About, or use the command-line interface with 'show version' or check the /proc/version file if SSH access is availableAffected if The installed Axis OS version is 12.0.0 through 12.6.29 (versions >=12.0.0 and <12.6.30)
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Verify ACAP application settingAccess the device web interface and navigate to Settings > Apps > Install Apps, or check via command line using the ACAP API or device configuration file for the 'Allow unsigned apps' or 'Disable signature check' settingAffected if The device is configured to allow installation of unsigned ACAP applications (this is a non-default, optional setting)
The device is affected only if BOTH the Axis OS version falls within 12.0.0 to 12.6.29 AND the setting to allow unsigned ACAP applications is enabled; if either condition is false, the device is not vulnerable to this specific flaw.
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 · scoped12.6.30
Disable the installation of unsigned ACAP applications in device settings, only install ACAP applications from trusted sources, and apply any available firmware updates from Axis.
Axis OS 12.6.30 or later (recommended: latest stable release)
- Verify the current Axis OS version by accessing the device web interface or using the VAPIX API
- Access the device's Administration > Software/ Firmware section in the web interface
- Download the latest Axis OS firmware (12.6.30 or later) from the official Axis download portal
- Upload the firmware file to the device and initiate the upgrade process
- After reboot, verify the new version is installed and confirm the device is functioning normally
- If unsigned ACAP applications are not required, disable the "Allow unsigned ACAP applications" setting in the device configuration to mitigate this vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-5718 — 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-2025-5718 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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