CVE-2019-25285
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2019-25285 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Alps Pointing-device Controller (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 5th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2019-25285 is an unquoted service path vulnerability in the ApHidMonitorService component of the Alps Pointing-device Controller version 8.1202.1711.04. This issue, mapped to CWE-428, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by exploiting the improperly quoted service binary path in the Windows registry. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability for local systems.
A low-privileged local attacker can exploit this vulnerability by placing a malicious executable in a directory along the service's unquoted path, such as within a parent folder of the legitimate service binary. When the ApHidMonitorService restarts—either manually, via system reboot, or through normal operation—the Windows Service Control Manager executes the attacker's file with SYSTEM-level privileges instead of the intended binary, resulting in full system compromise.
Advisories and references highlight the issue without specifying patches; the vendor site (alps.com) is listed, alongside a VulnCheck advisory detailing the ApHidMonitorService unquoted path and an Exploit-DB entry (47637) providing a public proof-of-concept exploit. Security practitioners should verify service paths via tools like sc query and authorize.exe, and consider removing or updating the affected driver where possible.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2019-19385
Vulnerability Data
Alps Pointing-device Controller 8.1202.1711.04 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the ApHidMonitorService that allows local attackers to execute code with elevated privileges. Attackers can place a malicious executable in the service path and gain system-level access when the service…
more
restarts or the system reboots.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover unquoted search paths through static analysis or dynamic test cases.
Documented development standards and tools can mandate proper quoting and escaping of path elements.
Engineering principles can require safe construction and quoting of search paths and command elements.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent path-handling flaws such as unquoted elements during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect unquoted search-path issues before deployment.
Enforcing controlled software installation can prevent unquoted search-path elements in executables and scripts.
Secure development lifecycle practices include input validation and path handling that reduce unquoted search-path weaknesses.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require safe path construction and quoting conventions.
Secure coding standards directly mandate quoting search paths and avoiding unsafe path construction.
Change-management processes can enforce review of path-handling changes that might introduce unquoted elements.