Local Privilege Escalation via qagent_uninstall.sh Qualys Cloud Agents
The Qualys Cloud Agent included a bundled uninstall script (qagent_uninstall.sh), specific to Mac and Linux supported versions that invoked multiple system commands without using absolute paths and without sanitizing the $PATH environment. If the uninstall script is executed with elevated privileges (e.g., via sudo) in an environment where $PATH has been manipulated, an attacker with root/sudo privileges could cause malicious executables to be run in place of the intended system binaries. This behavior can be leveraged for local privilege escalation and arbitrary command execution under elevated privileges.
Customers are advised to update to non-affected versions of Qualys product.
Configurations
* Local access to the system (the attacker must be local).
* Ability to run sudo or root (the uninstall script requires sudo at minimum for execution or must be run as root).
* Ability to modify $PATH (temporarily in the shell session used to launch the uninstall script, or persistently via writable shell configuration files such as ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc).
* Execution of qagent_uninstall.sh within the compromised environment where $PATH points to attacker-controlled locations.
Because exploitation requires the ability to run sudo (or be root), the vulnerability is not remotely exploitable by default — it relies on local privilege and environment manipulation, but the consequences are elevated (execution under high privilege).
Workarounds
Customers are advised to check workaround solutions listed on
https://www.qualys.com/security-advisories/cve-2025-43079