QNAP Systems has disclosed a critical security vulnerability in its NetBak Replicator software that could enable local attackers to execute malicious code on affected systems.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-57714, stems from an unquoted search path element flaw that poses significant security risks to organizations using the backup solution.
Vulnerability Details and Impact Assessment
The security flaw affects NetBak Replicator version 4.5.x and allows local attackers with user account access to exploit unquoted search paths for unauthorized code execution.
This type of vulnerability occurs when Windows searches for executable files in directories that contain spaces in their path names without proper quotation marks, potentially allowing attackers to place malicious executables in locations where the system might inadvertently execute them.
| Attribute | Details |
| CVE | CVE-2025-57714 |
| Affected Products | NetBak Replicator 4.5.x |
| Impact | Unauthorized code/command execution via unquoted search path vulnerability |
When successfully exploited, the vulnerability enables threat actors to run arbitrary commands or malicious code with elevated privileges on compromised systems.
The attack vector requires local access to a user account, which somewhat limits the scope but still presents serious risks in environments where multiple users have system access or where attackers have already gained initial foothold through other means.
The unquoted search path vulnerability represents a classic Windows security weakness where applications fail to properly handle file paths containing spaces.
NetBak Replicator’s implementation appears to have missed proper path quotation, creating opportunities for local privilege escalation attacks.
Security researchers from GMO Cybersecurity by IERAE, Inc., specifically Kazuma Matsumoto, discovered and reported this vulnerability to QNAP.
The exploitation prerequisites are relatively straightforward, requiring only local access to a user account on the target system.
This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning in shared computing environments, terminal servers, or systems where multiple administrators have access.
Attackers could potentially leverage this flaw as part of a broader attack chain to escalate privileges and maintain persistence on compromised networks.
QNAP has addressed this vulnerability in NetBak Replicator version 4.5.15.0807 and later releases.
Organizations using affected versions should immediately update to the patched version to eliminate the security risk.
The company emphasizes the importance of maintaining current software versions across all QNAP utilities to benefit from ongoing security improvements and vulnerability fixes.
System administrators should prioritize this update deployment, especially in environments where NetBak Replicator handles critical backup operations.
Additionally, organizations should implement defense-in-depth security measures, including proper access controls, monitoring for suspicious local activities, and regular security assessments to identify and address similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
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