CVE-2025-65117
Published: 16 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2025-65117 is a high-severity Use of Potentially Dangerous Function (CWE-676) vulnerability in Aveva Process Optimization. Its CVSS base score is 7.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 0.5th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct priv esc vuln via crafted OLE-embedded graphics requiring victim interaction maps to exploitation for escalation and malicious file execution.
NVD Description
The vulnerability, if exploited, could allow an authenticated miscreant (Process Optimization Designer User) to embed OLE objects into graphics, and escalate their privileges to the identity of a victim user who subsequently interacts with the graphical elements.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-65117, published on 2026-01-16, is a privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-676) with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N). It affects AVEVA Process Optimization Designer, where an authenticated Process Optimization Designer User can embed OLE objects into graphics, enabling potential privilege escalation upon victim interaction with those elements.
The attack requires local access, low complexity, high privileges (Process Optimization Designer User authentication), and user interaction from a victim. A miscreant can craft graphics containing embedded OLE objects; when a higher-privileged victim user subsequently interacts with the graphical elements, the attacker escalates to the victim's identity, achieving high impacts on confidentiality and integrity with a changed scope but no availability disruption.
Advisories including CISA ICSA-26-015-01, AVEVA cybersecurity updates, and related software support downloads provide mitigation guidance and patches for this vulnerability.
Details
- CWE(s)