May, 2025 - Intrucept

Linux Kernel Exploitation in ksmbd (CVE-2025-37899) Discovered with AI Assistance

Summary: A high-severity use-after-free vulnerability (CVE-2025-37899) has been discovered in the ksmbd component of the Linux kernel, which implements the SMB3 protocol for file sharing.

OEM	Linux
Severity	High
CVSS Score	N/A
CVEs	CVE-2025-37899
Actively Exploited	No
Exploited in Wild	No
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview

The vulnerability, confirmed on May 20, 2025 which was uncovered through AI-assisted code analysis using OpenAI’s o3 model. It affects multiple versions of the Linux kernel and may lead to arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges. As of now, no official fix is available, but Linux distributions including SUSE team are actively working on patches.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity
ksmbd use-after-free vulnerability	CVE-2025-37899	Linux kernel	High

Technical Summary

The vulnerability lies in the ksmbd kernel server component responsible for SMB3 protocol handling.

A use-after-free bug occurs when one thread processes a logoff command and frees the sess->user object, while another thread bound to the same session attempts to access the same object simultaneously. This results in a race condition that can lead to memory corruption and potentially enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-37899	Linux kernel (ksmbd)	A race condition during handling of SMB2 LOGOFF commands. sess->user is freed in one thread while still being accessed in another, leading to a classic use-after-free vulnerability. The absence of synchronization around sess->user allows attackers to exploit the freed memory during concurrent SMB operations.	Kernel memory corruption, privilege escalation, remote code execution

Remediation:

Fix status: As of now, an official fix has not been released. Linux distributions, including SUSE, are actively developing and testing patches.

General Recommendations

Monitor your distribution’s security advisories and apply patches as soon as they are available.
Consider disabling or restricting ksmbd (in-kernel SMB3 server) if not explicitly required.
Use firewall rules to restrict access to SMB services to trusted networks.
Employ kernel hardening options (e.g. memory protections, SELinux/AppArmor policies).
Audit SMB traffic for signs of abnormal session setup and teardown behavior.

Conclusion:
CVE-2025-37899 highlights the increasing role of AI in modern vulnerability discovery and the complex nature of concurrency bugs in kernel components. While no fix is yet available, administrators should apply defense-in-depth strategies and watch for updates from their Linux vendors.

The discovery underscores the importance of rigorous code audits, especially in components exposed to network traffic and multithreaded processing.

References:

CISCO ISE & UIC Security Flaws Allow DoS, Privilege Escalation

Summary: Cisco has disclosed multiple vulnerabilities affecting its Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Unified Intelligence Center (UIC).

The ISE bug, tracked as CVE-2025-20152, impacts the RADIUS message processing feature and could be exploited remotely, without authentication, to cause ISE to reload, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition.

OEM	CISCO
Severity	HIGH
CVSS Score	8.6
CVEs	CVE-2025-20152, CVE-2025-20113, CVE-2025-20114
Actively Exploited	No
Exploited in Wild	No
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview

This include a critical denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in the RADIUS protocol processing (CVE-2025-20152) and two privilege escalation flaws (CVE-2025-20113, CVE-2025-20114).

These unpatched issues, could result in network disruption and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity	Fixed Version
RADIUS DoS Vulnerability	CVE-2025-20152	Cisco Identity Services Engine	High	ISE 3.4 Patch 1 (3.4P1)
Privilege Escalation Vulnerability	CVE-2025-20113	Unified Intelligence Center	High	UIC 12.5(1)SU ES04, 12.6(2)ES04
Privilege Escalation Vulnerability	CVE-2025-20114	Unified Intelligence Center	High	UIC 12.5(1)SU ES04, 12.6(2)ES04

Technical Summary

The vulnerabilities identified in ISE and UIC products are critical and the allow an authenticated attacker to elevate their privileges to those of an administrator, for a limited set of functions on a vulnerable system by potentially accessing or manipulating unauthorized data.

Medium-severity bugs were also resolved in Webex, Webex Meetings, Secure Network Analytics Manager, Secure Network Analytics Virtual Manager, ISE, Duo, Unified Communications and Contact Center Solutions, and Unified Contact Center Enterprise (CCE).

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-20152	CISCO ISE 3.4	Improper handling of malformed RADIUS authentication requests can cause a system reload.	Denial of Service (DoS), Network Disruption
CVE-2025-20113	Unified Intelligence Center 12.5, 12.6	Insufficient server-side validation in API/HTTP requests may allow an authenticated attacker to escalate privileges to Admin level for certain functions.	Privilege Escalation, Unauthorized Data Access
CVE-2025-20114	Unified Intelligence Center 12.5, 12.6	Insufficient input validation in API allows IDOR attacks, enabling attackers to access data of other users.	Horizontal Privilege Escalation, Data Exposure

Remediation:

Cisco has released security updates to address these vulnerabilities:

For CVE-2025-20152 (Cisco ISE):

Upgrade to ISE 3.4P1 or later. No workarounds exist; RADIUS services are enabled by default, making immediate patching critical.

For CVE-2025-20113 and CVE-2025-20114 (UIC):

Upgrade to:

UIC 12.5(1)SU ES04 or later.
- UIC 12.6(2)ES04 or later.
- Unified CCX users should migrate to a fixed release if using affected versions.

Administrators are advised to verify product versions and apply patches through official Cisco channels.

Conclusion:
These vulnerabilities pose significant security risks especially CVE-2025-20152, which affects the core authentication protocol in many Cisco ISE deployments.

Organizations should prioritize updates to mitigate risks of denial-of-service attacks and unauthorized data access. No exploitation in the wild has been observed so far, but given the critical nature, immediate action is strongly recommended.

References:

Critical Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in Motors WordPress Theme

Summary: A critical privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2025-4322) has been identified in the Motors WordPress theme, a widely used premium theme tailored for car dealerships, rentals, and vehicle listings.

OEM	WordPress
Severity	Critical
CVSS Score	9.8
CVEs	CVE-2025-4322
Actively Exploited	No
Exploited in Wild	No
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview This vulnerability affects versions up to 5.6.67 and could allow unauthenticated attackers to reset passwords for any user, including administrators, leading to complete site compromise. The issue has been addressed in version 5.6.68, and immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity	Fixed Version
Privilege Escalation via Password Reset Bypass	CVE-2025-4322	Motors WordPress Theme	Critical	5.6.68

Technical Summary

The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation in the Login Register widget of the Motors theme, specifically within the password-recovery.php template. An attacker can manipulate the hash_check parameter using an invalid UTF-8 character, which is improperly sanitized by the esc_attr() function. This allows the attacker to bypass password reset validations and change passwords without authorization, even for administrator accounts.

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-4322	Motors WordPress Theme (<= 5.6.67)	The password-recovery.php file fails to properly validate whether the stm_lost_password_hash exists and is correct. If the hash is empty (e.g. – no reset was requested), an attacker can bypass the check using an invalid UTF-8 character. The esc_attr() sanitization strips the invalid character after validation, resulting in a successful hash match and unauthorized password update.	Complete site compromise.

Remediation:

Immediately update: To mitigate the vulnerability, users of the Motors WordPress theme should immediately update to version 5.6.68 or later.

Conclusion:
CVE-2025-4322 is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability affecting over 22,000+ WordPress sites using the Motors theme.

Exploiting this flaw, unauthenticated attackers can reset administrator passwords and gain full control of vulnerable sites. The vulnerability was responsibly disclosed and swiftly addressed by the vendor, with a patched version (5.6.68) released.

Given the ease of exploitation and potential for full site compromise, users are strongly advised to update immediately.

Organizations relying on the Motors theme should also implement multi-layered security practices, such as web application firewalls, routine patching, and access monitoring, to safeguard their digital assets against similar threats in the future.

References:

Recent Health Care Data Breaches Highlight Importance of Proactive Leadership

Recent data breaches on healthcare organisation be it insurance provider to big hospitals and healthcare organisation witnesses how hackers were able to compromise the protected health information of patients.

Healthcare organisations collect an enormous amount of data and these are not only personal details but includes health insurance details, payment structure and medical records etc. These information’s are extremely important from financial point and a big lucrative market for hackers to track down and use them for gains.

In 2024 there were 1,160 healthcare related cyber breaches, exposing 305 million patients record out in dark web a marked increase of 26% in 2025.

As of March 19, 2025, 734 large data breaches have been reported to OCR, a percentage decrease of 1.74% from the 747 large healthcare data breaches reported in 2023.

While a reduction in healthcare data breaches is a step in the right direction, 2024 was the worst-ever year in terms of breached healthcare records, which jumped by 64.1% from last year’s record-breaking total to 276,775,457 breached records, or 81.38% of the 2024 population of the United States.

The Star Health Data Breach

Star Health and Allied Insurance is delaing a difficult situation where a potential exodus of top executives following a massive data breaches affecting over 30 million customers.

The breach has led to internal cybersecurity investigations, possible financial penalties up to ₹250 crore and heightened scrutiny over leadership accountability.

Employee attrition is reportedly rising with the organization, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and top it all the reputational damage and operational challenges.

The hacker responsible for a major data breach at Star Health and Allied Insurance last year has reportedly claimed responsibility for sending death threats and bullet cartridges to the insurer’s top executives.

As per reports the hacker reportedly said the recent threats were triggered after being contacted by Star Health policyholders who claimed their legitimate insurance claims were denied.

Star Health, India’s biggest health insurer, has faced criticism from customers and data security experts as per Reuters. Since last September the hacker known by alias name ‘xenZen’ had leaked sensitive client data, including medical reports. At the time, xenZen told Reuters in an email they possessed 7.24 terabytes of data related to over 31 million Star Health customers and was speaking to potential buyers for the data.

This incident brings in light top leadership crisis within the organisation.

Crisis Management is broader perspective that encompasses leadership decisions, communication strategies, stakeholder engagement, business continuity, fiscal management, and long-term reputational considerations.

Healthcare specific Cyber security performance goal(CPGs)

With record numbers of healthcare records being compromised, it is clear that more needs to be done to improve healthcare cybersecurity.

Beginning of 2024, the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights published two sets of healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals (CPGs).

In December 2024, the HHS published a long-awaited proposed update to the HIPAA Security Rule that will, if enacted, force healthcare organizations to implement a range of measures to improve their security posture. The proposed update includes some of the recommended measures in the CPGs, such as multifactor authentication, encryption for data at rest and in transit, mitigating known vulnerabilities, network segmentation, maintaining an accurate asset inventory and cyber security testing.

Stable Leadership to deal with un-certainties of cyber threats

Organisations under stable leadership must undertake a rigorous risk-assessment process that encompasses disaster mitigation. This will include cyber incident recovery and business continuity planning to support the resilience of critical health care functions and systems.

With strong new leadership companies can adopt bold steps to regain trust by investing heavily in cyber security infrastructure. This is led by launching new products focused on identity protection.

Having a transparent approach in addressing vulnerabilities and commitment to innovation will help restore customer confidence and set a new industry standard for data protection. To turn cybersecurity threats into oppertunites, CEO and CISO’s must embrace a multifaceted leadership approach to deal with advance cyber tactics employed by hackers and cyber criminals.

To go beyond technical solutions and extends to cultural, strategic and operational changes.

Adopting a cyber-security first culture within the Organization

First and foremost it is important to foster a security-first culture within an organization is critical. This will involve embedding cyber security considerations into every level of business decision-making.
Organisations and top leadership taking decisions from development to customer engagement. Leadership must set the tone by prioritizing security as a fundamental business value .
Cyber security training a must within the organisation will help build a culture that requires continuous reinforcement through regular training, internal etc.
The next step would be ad frameworks that allow businesses to quickly pivot in response to emerging risks.
The next step would be adopting frameworks that will allow business to quickly scale and impose proper response during emergency or any cyber threat.
The growing cyber risk is also an opportunity for cyber security leadership to stay ahead of their adversaries by improving certain aspects like involving real time threat visibility, gathering actionable insights from industry partners etc.. This will enable proactive security measures that is resilient in building a cyber-security strategy . To reduce the after affect of breaches, top leadership must adopt cross-functional collaboration and investing in ongoing education to create a more security-conscious workforce.
All in all a proactive cyber security strategy will help organizations and this is possible by embracing innovation and having a transparent and proactive leadership.

A strong leadership will help to mitigate risks and enhance organisations competitive standing in the market. This can be followed by Iidentifing not only technical vulnerabilities but also operational weaknesses, supply chain risks, and human factors or insider threat .

Critical Firefox 0-Day Vulnerabilities Exploited at Pwn2Own 2025 – Immediate Update Required

Summary: Mozilla Patches Two Critical Zero-Day Vulnerabilities In Firefox.

The Two critical zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4918 and CVE-2025-4919) have been discovered in Mozilla Firefox, allowing attackers to execute malicious code through out-of-bounds memory manipulation in the JavaScript engine.

OEM	Mozilla
Severity	High
CVSS Score	8.8
CVEs	CVE-2025-4918, CVE-2025-4919
Actively Exploited	No
Exploited in Wild	No
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview

Mozilla has released emergency security updates to address the issues.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity	Fixed Version
JavaScript Promise OOB Access	CVE-2025-4918	Firefox	High	Firefox 138.0.4, ESR 128.10.1, 115.23.1
Array Index Confusion	CVE-2025-4919	Firefox	High	Firefox 138.0.4, ESR 128.10.1, 115.23.1

Technical Summary

The two vulnerabilities lie within the JavaScript engine of Mozilla Firefox. CVE-2025-4918 arises from improper handling of JavaScript Promise objects, leading to out-of-bounds memory access. CVE-2025-4919 involves an integer overflow during array index calculations, resulting in memory corruption.

Both vulnerabilities can be exploited by tricking users into visiting a malicious website, allowing attackers to gain code execution capabilities within the browser.

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-4918	Firefox < 138.0.4, ESR < 128.10.1, < 115.23.1	Improper memory boundary handling in JavaScript Promise resolution leads to out-of-bounds read/write	Remote Code Execution
CVE-2025-4919	Firefox < 138.0.4, ESR < 128.10.1, < 115.23.1	Array index miscalculation during optimization routines allows memory corruption via out-of-bounds access	Remote Code Execution

Remediation:

Update Firefox: Mozilla has released patched versions that fix these vulnerabilities. Users and administrators should immediately update to the latest versions:
Firefox 138.0.4 or later
Firefox ESR 128.10.1 or later
Firefox ESR 115.23.1 or later

Recommendations:

Temporary Workarounds (if immediate update is not possible):
Avoid visiting unfamiliar or suspicious websites.
Use browser security extensions to restrict or disable JavaScript execution.
Consider using application whitelisting or sandboxing to restrict browser-based activities.
Enterprise Recommendation:
Deploy Firefox updates across managed environments using enterprise software deployment tools.
Monitor threat intelligence feeds and endpoint protection logs for any signs of exploitation

Conclusion:
The vulnerabilities CVE-2025-4918 and CVE-2025-4919 pose critical risks as they can be exploited for remote code execution via malicious JavaScript. These flaws were responsibly disclosed and demonstrated at Pwn2Own 2025, a leading security research competition held in Berlin.

CVE-2025-4918 was discovered and demonstrated by Edouard Bochin and Tao Yan from Palo Alto Networks, involving an out-of-bounds write in the handling of JavaScript Promise objects.
CVE-2025-4919 was discovered by security researcher Manfred Paul, who exploited a memory corruption issue through array index manipulation.

Both researchers participated through Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), and their demonstrations earned top scores and prizes. Mozilla has responded swiftly with fixes, and users are strongly urged to update immediately.

Staying current with software patches remains a vital defense against modern web-based threats.

The updates, which cover Firefox on both desktop and Android platforms, as well as two Extended Support Releases (ESR), were issued just hours after the event concluded on Saturday—immediately following the public demonstration of the second vulnerability.

References:

Cyber Security News at a Glance; May 2025

For the month of May 2025 here are the Top News including Security Advisory & Blogs

Tesla Model 3 VCSEC Vulnerability Allows Remote Code Execution via TPMS Exploit

A high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-2082) in Tesla Model 3’s Vehicle Controller Security (VCSEC) module allows attackers within wireless range to remotely execute arbitrary code by exploiting a flaw in the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Tesla Model 3 VCSEC Vulnerability Allows Remote Code Execution via TPMS Exploit

The FBI issued an alert warning of ongoing exploitation of 13 EOL Linksys/Cisco routers by cybercriminal groups operating the 5Socks and Anyproxy services.

FBI Warns End-of-Life Routers Exploited in Active Botnet and Proxy Campaigns

Microsoft May 2025 Patch Tuesday Released; Fixed 83 Vulnerabilities, Including 5 Zero-Days

Microsoft addressed 83 vulnerabilities across its product suite. Among them are 5 zero-day vulnerabilities have been confirmed as actively exploited in the wild. The updates span Windows components, Office, Visual Studio, and other core services.

11 vulnerabilities were rated critical, emphasizing the importance of timely remediation especially for enterprise environments.

5 non-Microsoft CVEs included

78 Microsoft CVEs addressed

Microsoft May 2025 Patch Tuesday Released; Fixed 83 Vulnerabilities, Including 5 Zero-Days

Critical SAP NetWeaver Vulnerabilities Addressed in May 2025 Patch – Immediate Action Required

SAP has released critical security updates for its May 2025 patch, including fixes for two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer.

SAP Visual Composer is not installed by default, however it is enabled because it was a core component used by business process specialists to develop business application components without coding.

Critical SAP NetWeaver Vulnerabilities Addressed in May 2025 Patch – Immediate Action Required

CISA is officially changing the way it disseminates online security updates and guidance.

CISA says the enhanced information dissemination system will from now on use social media and email only to disperse cybersecurity alerts and advisories, saving its landing page for more critical warnings on May 12.

Updates on May 13

Just a day after announcing it was changing the way it sent out alerts, CISA has changed its mind and reverted back to its old system of putting everything on its website.

“We recognize this has caused some confusion in the cyber community,” the site now reads. “As such, we have paused immediate changes while we re-assess the best approach to sharing with our stakeholders.”

Social Media & emails as Medium to disperse Cybersecurity alerts; CISA

Zero-Day Threat in Chrome’s Loader Component (CVE-2025-4664) – CISA Flags Urgent Risk

A zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-4664) in Google Chrome’s Loader component has been actively exploited in the wild.This flaw allows attackers to bypass security policies, leak cross-origin data, and potentially execute unauthorized code. CISA has added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, urging immediate patching.

Zero-Day Threat in Chrome’s Loader Component (CVE-2025-4664) – CISA Flags Urgent Risk

Zero-Day Threat in Chrome’s Loader Component (CVE-2025-4664) – CISA Flags Urgent Risk

Summary : A zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-4664) in Google Chrome’s Loader component has been actively exploited in the wild.

OEM	Google
Severity	Medium
CVSS Score	4.3
CVEs	CVE-2025-4664
Actively Exploited	Yes
Exploited in Wild	Yes
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview

This flaw allows attackers to bypass security policies, leak cross-origin data, and potentially execute unauthorized code. CISA has added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, urging immediate patching.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity	Fixed Version
Insufficient Policy Enforcement vulnerability	CVE-2025-4664	Google Chrome	Medium	136.0.7103.113/.114 (Win/Mac), 136.0.7103.113 (Linux)

Technical Summary

CVE-2025-4664 is a zero-day vulnerability found in the Chrome Loader component due to insufficient policy enforcement.

It enables remote attackers to bypass browser security controls using crafted HTML content, possibly leaking cross-origin data or achieving sandbox escape. The bug has been actively exploited in the wild.

A second high-severity flaw, CVE-2025-4609, was also addressed in this update, involving an incorrect handle in the Mojo IPC layer, which can lead to memory corruption or privilege escalation.

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-4664	Chrome (Windows, Mac, Linux)	Insufficient policy enforcement in Loader enables cross-origin data leaks via crafted HTML.	Data leakage, sandbox escape, potential code execution

Remediation:

Update Chrome: Google has released security updates to address these vulnerabilities. Users and administrators must apply the latest Chrome versions:

Windows/macOS: Chrome 136.0.7103.113 /136.0.7103.114 or later

Linux: Chrome 136.0.7103.113 or later

Conclusion:
The active exploitation of CVE-2025-4664 highlights the urgent need for rapid security response and patch management. With acknowledgment from CISA and public disclosure by @slonser_, this zero-day poses a real and present threat to users of Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.

Organizations should take immediate action to patch affected systems and monitor for signs of compromise.

Regular browser updates and proactive vulnerability management are essential to mitigating such critical security risks.

References:

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2025/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_14.html

https://www.zero-day.cz/database/?set_filter=Y&arrFilter_pf%5BYEAR_FROM%5D=2006&arrFilter_pf%5BYEAR_TO%5D=2025&arrFilter_pf%5BSEARCH%5D=CVE-2025-4664#item_-1

https://cybersecuritynews.com/cisa-warns-of-google-chromium-vulnerability-actively-exploited-in-the-wild/

Social Media & emails as Medium to disperse Cybersecurity alerts; CISA

CISA is officially changing the way it disseminates online security updates and guidance.

As per new rule IT admins and others who want to know are advised to sign up for CISA’s email notifications to stay informed.

Updates on May 13

Just a day after announcing it was changing the way it sent out alerts, CISA has changed its mind and reverted back to its old system of putting everything on its website.

Some updates will still be available via RSS, though users tracking the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog must subscribe to that topic through the GovDelivery email service.

Going forward, only high-priority alerts—those tied to emerging threats or major cyber activity—will be posted on the agency’s Cybersecurity Alerts and Advisories webpage. Routine updates and known vulnerabilities, which were previously published on the site, will now be distributed via email, RSS feeds, and X (formerly Twitter).

“The focus of our Cybersecurity Alerts & Advisories webpage will now be on urgent information tied to emerging threats or major cyber activity,” said CISA.

“CISA wants this critical information to get the attention it deserves and ensure it is easier to find.”

Shift in decentralized Cyber communication i.e. multi channel communication

The shift comes as federal agencies rethink the way they communicate with the public and key stakeholders amid both technological and political pressures. For enterprises, this marks a turning point in how they receive, interpret, and act on federal cybersecurity guidance.

The intent appears focused on reducing information overload and sharpening visibility of alerts that signal active or imminent cyber danger.

The announcement also said that security teams must ensure they’re subscribed to the correct GovDelivery topics, particularly for high-risk categories like the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog.

How can enterprise proactively respond to alerts?

Enterprises and organisations now need to build and maintain multi-channel alert pipelines that ensure no critical update slips through the cracks. This will involve integrating email subscription systems, real-time RSS feeds, and authenticated social media monitoring into their security operations centers (SOCs).

Security teams of various enterprise now must reevaluate their incident response protocols. In doing this they must align with the new metre and distribution of federal cybersecurity alerts.

This will help organizations as they place sharper emphasis on emerging threats and allow routine alerts to flow through alternative channels.

Critics have earlier warned how relying on a single private platform, especially one known for algorithmic unpredictability, introduce gaps in information access when high incidents takes place.

Sources: ALERT: CISA revamps how it disperses security advisories and updates starting today | Cybernews

Critical SAP NetWeaver Vulnerabilities Addressed in May 2025 Patch – Immediate Action Required

Summary : SAP has released critical security updates for its May 2025 patch, including fixes for two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer.

SAP Visual Composer is not installed by default, however it is enabled because it was a core component used by business process specialists to develop business application components without coding.

OEM	SAP
Severity	Critical
Date of Announcement	2025-05-13
No. of Vulnerabilities Patched	16
Actively Exploited	Yes
Exploited in Wild	Yes
Advisory Version	1.0

Overview

The most severe issue, CVE-2025-31324 (CVSS 10.0), is a critical unauthenticated file upload vulnerability that has been exploited in the wild since January 2025 for remote code execution (RCE).

This issue was originally addressed in an SAP security note issued on April 24, 2025, and has since been supplemented by a second vulnerability, CVE-2025-42999, involving insecure deserialization.

These vulnerabilities have been used together in chained attacks to gain full system access on vulnerable SAP NetWeaver servers.

Vulnerability Name	CVE ID	Product Affected	Severity	CVSS Score
Unauthenticated File Upload (RCE)	CVE-2025-31324	SAP NetWeaver	Critical	10.0
Insecure Deserialization (RCE)	CVE-2025-42999	SAP NetWeaver	Critical	9.1

Technical Summary

Attackers have leveraged two flaws in SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer in chained exploit scenarios to gain unauthorized remote access and execute arbitrary commands.

CVE-2025-31324 enables unauthenticated file uploads, and CVE-2025-42999 allows privileged users to exploit insecure data deserialization for command execution.

These vulnerabilities have impacted hundreds of internet-facing SAP instances, including systems operated by major enterprises.

CVE ID	System Affected	Vulnerability Details	Impact
CVE-2025-31324	SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer	Unauthenticated file upload vulnerability in development server.	Remote Code Execution (RCE) without privileges
CVE-2025-42999	SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer	Insecure deserialization in Visual Composer user-accessible function.	Remote Code Execution (RCE) without privileges

Source: SAP

In addition to the actively exploited vulnerabilities, several other High Severity Vulnerabilities were also addressed:

CVE-2025-30018: SAP Supplier Relationship Management (Live Auction Cockpit) – Multiple vulnerabilities (CVSS 8.6)

CVE-2025-43010: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition / On Premise (SCM Master Data Layer) – Code injection (CVSS 8.3)

CVE-2025-43000: SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform (PMW) – Information disclosure (CVSS 7.9)

CVE-2025-43011: SAP Landscape Transformation (PCL Basis) – Missing authorization check (CVSS 7.7)

CVE-2024-39592: SAP PDCE – Missing authorization check (CVSS 7.7)

Remediation:

Apply Patches Promptly: Install the May 2025 security updates immediately to mitigate risks from CVE-2025-42999 and other high-severity vulnerabilities, including CVE-2025-31324, along with additional security improvements across various SAP products.

General Recommendations:

Disable Visual Composer Service: If possible, disable the Visual Composer service to further reduce risk.

Restrict Access to Metadata Upload Functions: Limit access to the metadata uploader to trusted users to prevent unauthorized file uploads.

Monitor for Suspicious Activity: Continuously monitor the SAP NetWeaver environment for any signs of suspicious activity related to the vulnerabilities.

Conclusion:

The dual exploitation of CVE-2025-31324 and CVE-2025-42999 underscores the critical need for proactive patching and vigilant monitoring of enterprise SAP environments.
The vulnerabilities are being exploited by sophisticated threat actors, including the Chinese APT group Chaya_004, with over 2,000 exposed NetWeaver instances and hundreds already compromised.
In response to the severity, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has included CVE-2025-31324 in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog and has mandated federal agencies to remediate by May 20, 2025, under Binding Operational Directive 22-01. Organizations are strongly urged to act immediately to protect their SAP environments.

References: