CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-14551NVD status: Deferred

servereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub): External Control of File Name or Path

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-14551 is a high-severity external control of file name or path vulnerability in servereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub) from Servereye, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected servereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub) versions: 20.15 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of servereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub) you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on servereye.de for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Servereyeservereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub)20.15 and earlierNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (ncsc.ch).

Official description

The servereye client (also known as sensorhub, technically ClientAgentContainerService) versions 20.15 and earlier are vulnerable to Local Privilege Escalation. The high-privileged service SE3Recovery (EmergencyRecoveryService.exe), running as SYSTEM, periodically monitors the directory %ProgramData%\ServerEye3\update\ for a trigger file named "update_available". Due to insufficient access restrictions on this directory, a local standard user can create the trigger file and provide a path to a directory containing malicious JSON instructions. The service subsequently executes the utility UpdaterAction.exe with SYSTEM privileges, which parses the instructions and performs an unvalidated file copy from a user-controlled source to a protected system destination (e.g., overwriting a service binary). This leads to full system compromise as the service automatically restarts the overwritten binary with SYSTEM privileges.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: External Control of File Name or Path

The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to inbox.txt and ID 2 could map to profile.txt. Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap provide this capability.
  • Run your code in a jail or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory. Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.

More External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities (CWE-73)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities

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