CVE-2025-0293 in Connect Secure
Summary
by MITRE • 07/08/2025
CLRF injection in Ivanti Connect Secure before version 22.7R2.8 and Ivanti Policy Secure before version 22.7R1.5 allows a remote authenticated attacker with admin rights to write to a protected configuration file on disk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-0293 represents a critical cross-site scripting and command injection flaw affecting Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure platforms. This issue stems from insufficient input validation within the web application's configuration handling mechanisms, specifically when processing user-supplied data that should be strictly controlled and sanitized before being written to system files. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 22.7R2.8 for Connect Secure and 22.7R1.5 for Policy Secure, indicating a widespread impact across multiple product lines within the Ivanti security portfolio.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the attacker's ability to inject carriage return line feed sequences into configuration parameters, which then gets processed and written to protected system files without proper sanitization. This creates a path for arbitrary code execution and file manipulation, as the injected sequences can alter the intended behavior of configuration files and potentially allow attackers to inject malicious commands or modify critical system settings. The flaw falls under CWE-116, which specifically addresses improper encoding or escaping of output, and also relates to CWE-74, which covers injection flaws in the context of configuration file handling. The vulnerability is classified as a remote authenticated attack vector, meaning that an attacker must first obtain administrative credentials, but once achieved, can leverage this flaw to gain deeper system control.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration file manipulation, as it provides a pathway for attackers to potentially escalate privileges and compromise the entire security infrastructure. When an attacker with administrative access can write to protected configuration files, they essentially gain the ability to modify system behavior, potentially disabling security features, creating backdoors, or redirecting traffic to malicious endpoints. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these products are typically deployed in critical security environments where configuration integrity is paramount. The vulnerability can be leveraged to maintain persistent access, modify security policies, and potentially cause denial of service conditions by corrupting essential configuration files. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1546.003, which involves creating or modifying system level scripts to maintain persistence.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions of Ivanti Connect Secure 22.7R2.8 and Ivanti Policy Secure 22.7R1.5, which contain proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Additionally, network segmentation should be enforced to limit access to administrative interfaces, and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual configuration file modifications. The implementation of web application firewalls and input validation controls can provide additional defense in depth. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and ensure that all system components are properly patched and updated according to vendor advisories. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of input validation and the potential consequences when configuration file integrity is compromised in enterprise security systems.