CVE-2026-25866
Mobatek Mobaxterm ≤ 26.1
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-2026-25866 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Mobatek Mobaxterm. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 3th 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-2026-25866 is an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability (CWE-428) in MobaXterm versions prior to 26.1. The issue arises when the application calls WinExec to execute Notepad++ without specifying a fully qualified executable path during the opening of remote files. This exposes the software to Windows search path hijacking, where the system prioritizes executable locations in a predictable order.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this by placing a malicious executable, such as a trojanized notepad++.exe, earlier in the search path—typically in the current working directory or a directory preceding the legitimate Notepad++ installation in the system's PATH environment variable. Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution in the context of the affected user, with 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).
Advisories recommend updating to MobaXterm version 26.1 or later, available via the official download page at https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download-home-edition.html. Further technical details on the vulnerability are outlined in the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/mobaxterm-notepad-unquoted-service-path.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-10342
Vulnerability Data
MobaXterm versions prior to 26.1 contain an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability. The application calls WinExec to execute Notepad++ without a fully qualified executable path when opening remote files. An attacker can exploit the search path behavior by placing a…
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malicious executable earlier in the search order, resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the affected user.
- 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.