CVE-2025-66173
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 · uneditedThere is a privilege escalation vulnerability in some Hikvision DVR products. Due to the improper implementation of authentication for the serial port, an attacker with physical access could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the affected products and gaining access to an unrestricted shell environment.
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 confidenceThis is a physical privilege escalation vulnerability in Hikvision DVR devices where improper authentication implementation on the serial port allows an attacker with physical access to connect directly to the device and obtain an unrestricted shell environment, effectively bypassing all normal authentication controls.
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<= 4.30.122_201107<= 4.30.122_201107CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelLocate the product label on the Hikvision DVR unit or access the device system information via the web interface or monitor output to confirm the exact model number (DS 7104hghi F1 or DS 7204hghi F1)Affected if The device model is not one of the two listed affected models (DS 7104hghi F1 or DS 7204hghi F1)
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Determine the installed firmware versionAccess the device main menu > System > System Info, or log into the web interface and navigate to Maintenance > System Info to view the firmware version numberAffected if The firmware version is 4.30.122_201107 or any version lower than this (the vulnerable version range)
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Inspect serial port accessibilityPhysically examine the DVR device chassis for exposed serial (RS-232) header pins or a debug port connector; note whether the serial interface is accessible without removing the enclosureAffected if A serial port or debug header is physically accessible on the device exterior or with minimal disassembly
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Verify serial port authentication behaviorConnect to the device serial port using a USB-to-serial adapter (115200 baud, 8N1) and observe whether the device grants a shell prompt or administrative access without requiring credentials upon boot or connectionAffected if The serial connection provides an unrestricted root shell or bypasses authentication prompts
You are affected if you own a DS 7104hghi F1 or DS 7204hghi F1 device running firmware version 4.30.122_201107 or lower, and the serial port is physically accessible on the device.
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.
From vendor dataImplement physical security controls to restrict access to serial ports on affected devices, and apply any vendor firmware updates that address serial port authentication weaknesses.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $4,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-66173 — 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-2025-66173 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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- 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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