High

Local Privilege Escalation in Citrix Windows Virtual Delivery Agent

IdentifiersCVE-2025-6759CWE-668

CVE-2025-6759 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Virtual Delivery Agent for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix DaaS. The issue arises from a privileged process handle associated with the Citrix HDX graphics components being exposed to a low-privileged user process. Specifically, a SYSTEM process handle with PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS rights was observed leaking from GfxMgr.exe into CtxGfx.exe, which runs in the context of a low-privileged user. Because the handle is present in a user-owned process, an attacker can duplicate it without requiring special privileges and use it to create a new process running as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The flaw affects local security boundaries on the host and enables elevation from a standard user context to the highest local privilege level.

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ANALYST BRIEF

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.

Successful exploitation allows a local low-privileged attacker to escalate privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM on the affected Windows host. This can result in full administrative control of the system, including execution of arbitrary code with SYSTEM rights, tampering with security controls, access to sensitive local data, installation of persistent components, and use of the compromised host as a pivot for further post-exploitation activity.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, disable the affected exception-handler functionality by setting the Citrix CtxExceptionHandler Enabled value to 0 and restarting the system. In non-persistent VDA environments, incorporate this configuration change into the master image so it persists across reprovisioning. Centralized configuration deployment mechanisms such as Citrix Workspace Environment Management can be used to roll out the workaround at scale until fixed versions are installed.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade affected Windows Virtual Delivery Agent installations to a vendor-fixed release. For single-session OS deployments, upgrade to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2503 or later in the Current Release track. For Long Term Service Release deployments, apply Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2402 LTSR CU1 Update 1 or CU2 Update 1, and later cumulative updates as applicable. Use standard Citrix provisioning workflows or the VDA Upgrade Service where appropriate to ensure the fixed VDA version is deployed consistently.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

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.

VendorProductType

Citrix SystemsCvadapplication

Citrix SystemsDaasapplication

Citrix SystemsVirtual Apps And Desktopsapplication

Citrix SystemsVirtual Delivery Agentapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

3 SOURCESView more in app

rapid7 blogNews

Jul 8, 2025

CVE-2025-6759: Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops - Local Privilege Escalation

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops where a low-privileged user can duplicate a leaked SYSTEM process handle (PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS) from a Citrix graphics-related process and spawn a new process as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity1