CVE-2019-25345
Published: 12 February 2026
Summary
CVE-2019-25345 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Realtek IIS Codec (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Unquoted Path (T1574.009); ranked at the 2.7th 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 are NIST 800-53 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2019-25345 is an unquoted service path vulnerability affecting the Realtek IIS Codec Service version 6.4.10041.133. The issue stems from an improperly quoted executable path in the service configuration, which enables local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code by placing malicious executables in predictable locations during service startup. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-428 (Unquoted Search Path or Element) and 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).
Local low-privileged attackers can exploit this vulnerability with minimal complexity and no user interaction required. By leveraging the unquoted path, an attacker injects a malicious executable into a directory traversed by the service, leading to arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges upon service restart or boot. Successful exploitation results in high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, enabling full system compromise.
Advisories, including the VulnCheck report on the RTKISCodec service's unquoted path, provide technical details on the flaw. An exploit is publicly available on Exploit-DB (ID 47642). The Realtek vendor site is referenced, though specific patch or mitigation guidance is not detailed in the provided references.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2019-19485
Vulnerability details
Realtek IIS Codec Service 6.4.10041.133 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code. Attackers can exploit the unquoted path in the service configuration to inject malicious executables and escalate privileges on the system.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Unquoted service path (CWE-428) directly enables path interception by unquoted path (T1574.009) for local privilege escalation to SYSTEM (T1068).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Establishes and enforces secure configuration settings for services, including properly quoting executable paths to directly prevent exploitation of unquoted service path vulnerabilities like CVE-2019-25345.
Requires identification, reporting, and timely remediation of system flaws such as the unquoted service path in Realtek IIS Codec Service, preventing arbitrary code execution.
Implements vulnerability scanning that specifically identifies unquoted service path vulnerabilities like CVE-2019-25345 for remediation before exploitation.