Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local non-admin account
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DeliveryAccess weakly-permissioned agent log directory
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ExploitTamper with or delete security logs
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ExecutionPlant executable in privileged-service directory
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ImpactStage local privilege escalation
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Default permission hardening
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires a local, authenticated non-administrative account (PR:L) on a host where the WatchGuard Agent is installed, plus the specific misconfiguration: the agent's log directory carries incorrect permissions that let a non-privileged user create, modify, append to, or delete files within it. What limits exploitation: there is no remote or network path (AV:L) and no unauthenticated access - the attacker must already have an interactive local user account; the AT:P metric indicates an additional attack requirement outside the attacker's full control. The log-tampering impact is immediate, but the privilege-escalation outcome is only a staging primitive (placing executable content in a privileged-service-owned directory) and depends on a further, undescribed mechanism to execute that content. |
| Impact | This is a locally-exploitable permission-misconfiguration flaw (CWE-276), not a remote critical. The vendor's CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N) confirms the attacker must already be a local, authenticated non-administrative user on a host running the WatchGuard Agent - there is no network vector and no path to exploitation without an existing foothold. vuln.today assigns a 'this_week' priority, consistent with a meaningful-but-not-emergency local flaw. Exploitation signals are modest: no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified at time of analysis (the only reference is the WatchGuard PSIRT advisory, not a PoC), so there is no evidence of active or automatable exploitation. The 7.3 base score is driven by the vendor rating VC/VI/VA all High, but the description substantiates mainly integrity and availability impact on the agent's security logs plus a staging primitive for further local attacks; a direct confidentiality breach is not described, so the High confidentiality rating is not clearly supported by the text - verify impact scope with WatchGuard. Net: a real defensive hygiene priority on hosts where untrusted local users have accounts, but a low-urgency item on single-user or tightly-controlled endpoints. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be compared here. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local user with a standard (non-administrative) account on a machine running the WatchGuard Agent writes to the agent's weakly-permissioned log directory, deleting or altering security log files to cover tracks after other malicious activity. Because the directory is owned by a privileged service, the same user drops executable content there to set up a subsequent local privilege-escalation attempt. No public exploit code was identified; exploitation requires an existing authenticated local foothold. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 22, 2026
Local non-administrative users on hosts running WatchGuard Agent can tamper with, append to, or delete the agent's security logs because the log directory is assigned incorrect permissions, and can stage further local attacks by placing executable content in a directory owned by a privileged service. The issue requires an existing local, authenticated account and the specific directory misconfiguration; there is no remote or unauthenticated path, and privilege escalation depends on a further execution mechanism that is not described in the available data. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the vendor has published an advisory and the issue is prioritized for this week.
RemediationAI
Patch availability and fixed version are not stated in the available data; consult the WatchGuard PSIRT advisory at https://psirt.watchguard.com/CVE-2026-115253 for the vendor-released fixed build and update instructions. Until the fixed build is applied, correct the log directory permissions so that only the WatchGuard Agent service account and administrators can create, modify, append to, or delete files in that directory, and remove write access for non-administrative local users; apply this through the agent's installation or service configuration, and test carefully because tightening directory permissions can disrupt logging if the service account is not granted the required access. Forward agent logs to a protected, centralized location and monitor for unexpected executable files in the log directory as an indicator of staging.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw is an incorrect permission assignment (CWE-276) in the WatchGuard Agent's log directory: the directory is writable by non-administrative local users, so they can create, modify, append to, or delete log files and write other files into that location. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:watchguard:watchguard_agent:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies WatchGuard Agent as the affected product across versions, and the CVSS:4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N) confirms a local attack path requiring an authenticated low-privileged user, with the AT:P metric indicating an additional attack requirement outside the attacker's full control. Integrity and availability impacts to the agent's logs are direct; the privilege-escalation outcome is a staging primitive in a privileged-service-owned directory and depends on an additional, undescribed execution mechanism. The vendor advisory is at https://psirt.watchguard.com/CVE-2026-115253.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Local authenticated non-admin user (AV:L/PR:L), deterministic write to a mispermissioned directory (AC:L); high integrity/availability impact on logs, no described read exposure so C:N.
Primary rating from Vendor (WatchGuard).
CVSS VectorVendor: WatchGuard
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
An incorrect permission assignment vulnerability in the WatchGuard Agent's log directory allows a local, authenticated non-administrative user to create, modify, append to, or delete the agent's log files and write other files into the directory. This allows an attacker to tamper with or destroy the agent's security logs and stage further local attacks by placing executable content in a directory owned by a privileged service.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-115253 is a high-severity local privilege escalation and log tampering vulnerability in the WatchGuard Agent, allowing any non-administrative user with local access to modify security logs and potentially elevate privileges. This affects organizations relying on WatchGuard for endpoint protection, as log integrity is compromised and local attackers could stage further attacks. Leadership should prioritize patching and interim controls due to the risk to security monitoring and potential system compromise.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Restrict local interactive access to trusted users, enforce least privilege, monitor log directory for unauthorized modifications, and implement file integrity monitoring and application control to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries in privileged directories.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
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