DLL Hijacking / Uncontrolled Search Path Privilege Escalation in AVEVA Process Optimization
CVE-2025-65118 is an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in AVEVA Process Optimization affecting versions 2024.1 and earlier. The flaw allows an authenticated local attacker with OS Standard User privileges to trick Process Optimization services on the Model Application Server into loading attacker-controlled arbitrary code, consistent with a DLL hijacking scenario. Successful exploitation results in execution of arbitrary code in the context of OS SYSTEM, enabling compromise of the affected server.
Are you exposed to this one?
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Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
12 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Unknown
An authenticated DLL hijacking vulnerability allowing arbitrary code loading and escalation to SYSTEM privileges.
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Process Optimization services that could allow an authenticated standard OS user to load arbitrary code and escalate privileges to OS System, potentially fully compromising the Model Application Server.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.