Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify Axis device allowing unsigned ACAP installs
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DeliveryCraft malicious ACAP package with unsanitized config
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ExploitSpear-phish device administrator
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ExecutionVictim installs malicious ACAP app
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PersistUnvalidated config input parsed at elevated privilege
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ImpactAttacker gains escalated privileges on device
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Specified type validation
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| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires both of the following preconditions to be true simultaneously: (1) the target Axis device must be explicitly configured to permit installation of unsigned ACAP applications - this is a non-default or operator-enabled setting that must be actively turned on - and (2) the attacker must successfully socially engineer a user with device management privileges (PR:H per CVSS) into installing the malicious ACAP application (UI:R per CVSS). High attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the requirement for these two independent conditions to align. The vulnerability does not affect availability (A:N). Environments that enforce ACAP application code-signing and do not permit unsigned application installation are not exposed to this vulnerability regardless of Axis OS version. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.7 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) accurately reflects a tightly constrained exploitation window. Three compounding prerequisites - non-default device configuration, high attacker privilege (reaching an admin-level user), and successful social engineering - must all align simultaneously. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in swidnica should treat this as a lower-urgency issue compared to unauthenticated, low-complexity network flaws, provided they enforce ACAP code-signing policy on their Axis deployments. No EPSS score was available in the provided data, and the absence of KEV listing further supports deprioritization for most operators. The C:H/I:H impact metrics are real and significant if exploitation succeeds, but the AC:H/PR:H/UI:R combination makes opportunistic mass exploitation implausible. The primary risk vector is a targeted insider threat or spear-phishing campaign aimed at a device administrator in an environment where unsigned ACAP installation has been enabled. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker targeting an organization using Axis surveillance hardware first identifies a device configured to accept unsigned ACAP applications, then crafts a malicious ACAP package whose configuration file contains unsanitized input designed to trigger privilege escalation when parsed. The attacker delivers the package via a phishing email or spoofed trusted source and persuades a device administrator to install it through the management interface, at which point the malicious configuration is processed and the attacker gains elevated privileges on the device. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in Axis OS affects all Axis network devices where unsigned ACAP application installation is permitted, allowing an attacker who tricks an administrator into installing a malicious ACAP app to gain elevated privileges on the device. The vulnerability stems from missing input validation in an ACAP configuration file (CWE-1287), enabling crafted configuration values to bypass intended privilege boundaries. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the CVE is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
RemediationAI
Consult the Axis vendor advisory at https://www.axis.com/dam/public/21/37/f2/cve-2026-5304pdf-en-US-543644.pdf for any available patched Axis OS release; no specific fixed version number was independently confirmed from the available data, so the advisory is the authoritative source for patch version information. As an immediate and highly effective compensating control, disable the option to install unsigned ACAP applications on all Axis devices - this directly eliminates the mandatory precondition for exploitation with no functional impact on environments using only signed, vendor-verified ACAP applications. Additionally, restrict device management interface access to trusted administrator accounts and network segments, and enforce ACAP code-signing policies across the fleet to prevent installation of unverified third-party packages.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
ACAP (Axis Camera Application Platform) is Axis Communications' proprietary runtime for executing third-party applications directly on Axis network cameras, encoders, and other video surveillance hardware running Axis OS (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:axis_communications_ab:axis_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). CWE-1287 (Improper Validation of Specified Type of Input) identifies the root cause as the ACAP configuration parser's failure to enforce expected data types or formats on application-supplied inputs, allowing a crafted ACAP package to inject configuration values that the underlying OS processes at elevated privilege. The attack surface is bounded by the ACAP installation pipeline: only applications installed through the device's management interface can supply the malicious configuration.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
PR:H reflects admin-level access needed to install ACAP apps; AC:H captures two required preconditions; UI:R mandatory; A:N because no availability impact is described.
Primary rating from Vendor (Axis).
CVSS VectorVendor: Axis
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionCVE.org
An ACAP configuration file lacks input validation, which could potentially lead to privilege escalation. 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.
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.
Privilege escalation in Axis VAPIX framework.
Privilege escalation vulnerability in Axis Communications' VAPIX Device Configuration framework that allows a local, aut
Code execution with potential privilege escalation in AXIS OS 12.0.0 through 12.10.35 is reachable only after an attacke
A user controlled parameter related to SMTP test functionality is not correctly validated making it possible to add the
During an annual penetration test conducted on behalf of Axis Communication, Truesec discovered a flaw in the ACAP Appli
Sandro Poppi, member of the AXIS OS Bug Bounty Program, has found that the VAPIX API overlay_del.cgi is vulnerable to pa
During an annual penetration test conducted on behalf of Axis Communication, Truesec discovered a flaw in the VAPIX Devi
A user controlled parameter related to SMTP test functionality is not correctly validated making it possible to bypass b
Command injection in the ACAP configuration-file handling of AXIS OS 12.x allows a local, authenticated attacker to esca
Path traversal in AXIS OS handling of ACAP application configuration files gives a local attacker holding low-level priv
Privilege escalation on Axis devices running AXIS OS 12.0.0 through 12.9.31 lets a malicious ACAP (Axis Camera Applicati
Remote code execution via improper input validation in a VAPIX API parameter on Axis OS affects Axis network camera and
EUVD-2026-55965
GHSA-xj6x-54xc-64j5
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB