Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify Axis device with unsigned ACAP installs enabled
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DeliverySocial-engineer high-privileged admin
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ExploitDeliver malicious ACAP package
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ExecutionVictim initiates installation
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PersistWin TOCTOU race between signature check and file use
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ImpactAchieve privilege escalation on device
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture TOCTOU prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires both of the following non-default, explicitly configured conditions to be present simultaneously: (1) the Axis device must be configured to allow installation of unsigned ACAP applications - this is a deliberately enabled administrative setting, not the factory default; and (2) an attacker must socially engineer a victim who holds high-privileged (administrative) access into installing a malicious ACAP application (UI:R, PR:H). Beyond these prerequisites, the attacker must also win a timing race condition (AC:H) between the application signature check and the subsequent file use during installation. Exploitation is categorically impossible against devices in default configuration where unsigned application installation is disabled. The combination of non-default configuration dependency, high privilege requirement, required user interaction, and race condition timing narrows the realistic attack surface to poorly-administered deployments that have explicitly relaxed application trust controls. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is materially lower than a surface reading of the vulnerability class might suggest. The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L encodes four significant exploitation barriers simultaneously: local attack vector (no remote exploitation path), high attack complexity (race condition requires precise timing), high privilege requirement (an administrator-level account must already be involved), and required user interaction (the privileged victim must actively install the malicious package). No EPSS score was provided in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA's KEV catalog, and no POC code has been identified. The High confidentiality impact (C:H) reflects that successful privilege escalation on a network camera could expose video feeds, credentials, and device configurations, but this impact is only reachable after clearing all the preceding barriers. In summary, this is a low-urgency finding for most organizations - the primary risk is in environments where unsigned ACAP installation is already permitted and administrative accounts are not tightly controlled. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker targeting an Axis deployment where unsigned ACAP installation has been enabled crafts a malicious ACAP package that appears legitimate and delivers it to a high-privileged administrator via phishing or supply chain impersonation. During the installation process initiated by the victim, the attacker exploits the race window between the installer's signature check and the actual application deployment to substitute a malicious payload, achieving privilege escalation on the device. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in the Axis Camera Application Platform (ACAP) framework on Axis OS exploits a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition during ACAP application installation. Exploitation is gated behind two explicit non-default conditions: the target device must have unsigned ACAP application installation enabled, and a high-privileged victim must be socially engineered into installing a malicious package. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the vendor-assigned CVSS score of 5.1 (Medium) accurately reflects the high attack complexity and privilege prerequisites that substantially constrain real-world impact.
RemediationAI
Consult the Axis vendor advisory at https://www.axis.com/dam/public/fd/16/ab/cve-2026-6505pdf-en-US-543641.pdf for patched Axis OS firmware versions; the exact fix version was not confirmed from the data available at time of analysis, so the advisory is the authoritative source. The single most effective immediate compensating control is to disable the option to allow installation of unsigned ACAP applications on all Axis devices - this eliminates the attack surface entirely, since the vulnerability cannot be triggered without this non-default setting enabled. The trade-off is that any legitimate unsigned ACAP applications already deployed will cease to install or update until re-signed. Additionally, restrict administrative access to device management interfaces to the minimum set of trusted personnel using role-based access controls and MFA where supported, reducing the social engineering surface required by the UI:R prerequisite. Device management should be confined to a dedicated out-of-band VLAN to reduce lateral access opportunities.
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 deploying third-party applications on Axis network cameras, encoders, and video surveillance appliances running Axis OS. The root cause is CWE-367 (Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use), a class of race condition where a security-relevant check - in this case, verification of an application's signature or integrity - occurs at one moment in time, but the actual resource use (execution or installation of that application) occurs at a later moment. An attacker can substitute a malicious payload between these two events, bypassing the integrity check. The affected CPE, cpe:2.3:a:axis_communications_ab:axis_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, covers all versions of Axis OS without specifying a fixed upper bound, indicating broad version exposure pending vendor clarification. The vulnerability was disclosed directly by Axis Communications.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
Local vector and PR:H reflect admin-controlled installation prerequisite; AC:H captures the race condition timing requirement; C:H reflects credential and video feed exposure post-escalation.
Primary rating from Vendor (Axis).
CVSS VectorVendor: Axis
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionCVE.org
The ACAP framework contains a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition, 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-2026-55966
GHSA-h4gf-wr33-6635
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB