CVE-2025-14751 in cMT3072XH
Summary
by MITRE • 01/23/2026
A low-privileged user can bypass account credentials without confirming the user's current authentication state, which may lead to unauthorized privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines fundamental security controls within the affected system. The issue stems from insufficient validation of the user's current authentication state during credential verification processes, allowing attackers with minimal privileges to circumvent normal authentication procedures. The flaw exists in the session management and authentication state validation mechanisms, where the system fails to properly verify whether a user has already authenticated before accepting new credential submissions. This creates a pathway for attackers to escalate their privileges without proper authorization, as the system does not enforce mandatory re-authentication checks when transitioning between different privilege levels or accessing restricted resources. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple credential theft, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the authentication framework itself.
The technical implementation of this flaw typically involves weaknesses in the authentication state machine where the system does not properly track or validate user sessions. Attackers can exploit this by manipulating the authentication flow to skip required verification steps, potentially through session hijacking, token manipulation, or by exploiting race conditions in authentication state transitions. The vulnerability may be present in the application's authentication middleware, session handling components, or API endpoints that manage credential validation. This type of flaw commonly relates to CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and legitimate credentials for persistence and privilege escalation. The low privilege requirement makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users who have minimal access rights initially, enabling them to gain unauthorized administrative or elevated privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it provides attackers with a straightforward method to bypass security controls that are designed to prevent unauthorized access. Once exploited, the vulnerability can enable attackers to access sensitive data, modify system configurations, escalate privileges to administrator accounts, or perform actions that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability's persistence across different authentication methods means that it can affect various login mechanisms including web interfaces, api endpoints, and command line tools. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to critical systems, potential data breaches, and compromised system integrity. The vulnerability's low privilege requirement makes it particularly attractive to attackers as it requires minimal skill or resources to exploit, potentially leading to widespread compromise of the affected systems. Security monitoring systems may not detect this attack vector effectively since it mimics legitimate user behavior, making detection and incident response more challenging.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust authentication state validation and mandatory re-authentication procedures for privilege escalation events. Organizations should enforce proper session management controls that track user authentication states and validate session integrity throughout the user's interaction with the system. The implementation of multi-factor authentication, time-based session timeouts, and explicit re-authentication prompts for privileged actions can significantly reduce the exploitability of this vulnerability. Security patches should address the core authentication state validation logic, ensuring that the system properly validates user authentication status before accepting new credential submissions. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Regular security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar authentication bypass flaws. Additionally, implementing proper logging and monitoring of authentication events can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while following security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-63B for authentication guidance can provide comprehensive mitigation strategies.