CVE-2025-1534 in Payara Server
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
CVE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Payara Platform Payara Server allows : Remote Code Inclusion.This issue affects Payara Server: from 4.1.2.1919.1 before 4.1.2.191.51, from 5.20.0 before 5.68.0, from 6.0.0 before 6.23.0, from 6.2022.1 before 6.2025.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2025
The CVE-2025-1534 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness in the Payara Platform Payara Server that enables remote code inclusion through improper input neutralization during web page generation. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category for improper neutralization of input during web page generation, which is a fundamental web application security flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The affected versions span multiple release lines including 4.1.2.1919.1 through 4.1.2.191.51, 5.20.0 through 5.68.0, 6.0.0 through 6.23.0, and 6.2022.1 through 6.2025.2, indicating a widespread impact across the Payara Server platform. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is particularly concerning as it directly enables remote code inclusion, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the web application server. This represents a severe operational risk as it can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistence within the affected environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the Payara Server fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the server, get executed in the context of other users' browsers, thereby enabling code execution on the target system. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges suggests that the input sanitization mechanisms were either inadequately implemented or underwent changes that introduced regression flaws. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Payara Server typically runs critical applications and services, as it can be leveraged to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and system resources. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a code injection technique under the T1059.007 sub-technique, where adversaries use web application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code remotely.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-1534 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged for comprehensive system compromise and data theft. Organizations running affected Payara Server versions face significant risks including unauthorized access to backend databases, privilege escalation, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability's ability to enable remote code inclusion means that attackers can deploy malware, establish backdoors, or conduct further reconnaissance activities without requiring physical access to the system. Security teams must consider the potential for this vulnerability to be used as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, including those targeting enterprise data centers or cloud environments where Payara Server might be deployed. The widespread nature of affected versions suggests that many organizations may be unknowingly exposed to this risk, potentially affecting critical business applications and services that depend on the Payara platform for their operation.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of Payara Server, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 emphasizes the importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices throughout the application development lifecycle. Security measures should include regular vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and monitoring for suspicious activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while maintaining detailed logging and monitoring capabilities to detect unauthorized access attempts. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing of patched environments to ensure that the vulnerability has been properly addressed without introducing regressions in existing functionality.