Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
8DescriptionCVE.org
Quest 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) contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to impersonate legitimate users without valid credentials. The vulnerability exists in the SSO authentication handling mechanism and can lead to complete administrative takeover.
AnalysisAI
Authentication bypass in Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance allows remote unauthenticated attackers to impersonate any user and achieve complete administrative takeover via SSO mechanism flaws. Confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV) with publicly available exploit code. Affects versions 13.0.x through 14.1.x across five major release branches. CVSS 10.0 (critical) with changed scope indicates full system compromise. EPSS score of 0.16% appears artificially low given confirmed active exploitation, suggesting targeted attacks rather than widespread scanning.
Technical ContextAI
Quest KACE SMA is an enterprise systems management appliance providing patch management, asset inventory, and service desk capabilities. The vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) resides in the SSO (Single Sign-On) authentication handler, which apparently fails to properly validate authentication tokens or session credentials. This allows credential bypass during the authentication phase. The changed scope (S:C) in the CVSS vector indicates the vulnerability permits breaking out of the appliance's security boundary to impact other resources, consistent with administrative takeover scenarios where compromised management systems can pivot to managed endpoints. The authentication mechanism flaw likely involves token validation logic that accepts malformed, replayed, or attacker-crafted authentication assertions without proper cryptographic verification.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches: Upgrade immediately to Quest KACE SMA 13.0.385, 13.1.81, 13.2.183, 14.0.341 (Patch 5), or 14.1.101 (Patch 4) depending on your major version branch - see https://support.quest.com/kb/4379499/ for patch downloads and installation instructions. Given confirmed active exploitation, this is an emergency out-of-cycle patch requiring immediate deployment. If immediate patching is not feasible within 24-48 hours, implement network-level compensating controls: restrict SMA administrative interface access to specific trusted IP addresses via firewall rules (blocks AV:N attack vector but breaks legitimate remote management), disable SSO authentication methods and require local authentication only (may break integrated workflows with directory services), or place SMA behind a reverse proxy with pre-authentication requirements (adds latency and complexity). Each workaround degrades SMA functionality - emergency patching is the only complete fix. Monitor authentication logs for anomalous login patterns, multiple administrative sessions from same user, or logins from unexpected source IPs during the exposure window.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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EUVD-2025-19028