CVE-2025-2402 in Business Hub
Summary
by MITRE • 03/31/2025
A hard-coded, non-random password for the object store (minio) of KNIME Business Hub in all versions except the ones listed below allows an unauthenticated remote attacker in possession of the password to read and manipulate swapped jobs or read and manipulate in- and output data of active jobs. It is also possible to cause a denial-of-service of most functionality of KNIME Business Hub by writing large amounts of data to the object store directly.
There are no viable workarounds therefore we strongly recommend to update to one of the following versions of KNIME Business Hub:
* 1.13.2 or later
* 1.12.3 or later
* 1.11.3 or later
* 1.10.3 or later
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in KNIME Business Hub where a hard-coded password is embedded within the minio object store implementation across all versions except those specifically mentioned for patching. The flaw constitutes a fundamental design weakness that violates core security principles by using non-random credentials that remain unchanged across deployments. This hard-coded credential creates an inherent backdoor that persists regardless of system configurations or security policies, making it particularly dangerous as it provides persistent access to core system components without requiring any authentication factors or user interaction from attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the insecure handling of authentication credentials within the object storage layer of KNIME Business Hub. The minio object store component contains a predetermined password that attackers can discover through various means including reverse engineering, public documentation, or simply by exploiting the known hard-coded value. This creates a persistent access vector that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical system resources including swapped jobs, active job data, and input/output processing elements. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-798, which addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and represents a classic case of insecure credential storage where the password is embedded within the application code rather than being dynamically generated or securely managed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, providing attackers with comprehensive access to the system's core data processing capabilities. An attacker with knowledge of the hard-coded password can perform read and write operations on job data, manipulate processing workflows, and potentially cause significant disruption through denial-of-service conditions by overwhelming the object store with large data transfers. This capability extends beyond simple data theft to include active manipulation of business processes, which could result in corrupted analysis results, data integrity violations, and complete system disruption. The ability to cause denial-of-service through large data writes specifically targets the object store functionality, which serves as the backbone for data persistence and job management within KNIME Business Hub.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading to patched versions of KNIME Business Hub as specified in the advisory. This approach addresses the root cause by replacing the hard-coded password with properly generated and managed credentials. The patching process should be prioritized as there are no viable workarounds available for this vulnerability, making it essential to implement the official updates. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure while applying patches, though these measures do not address the underlying credential management issue. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and proper credential management as outlined in security frameworks, particularly addressing the ATT&CK technique T1566 which involves credential access through hard-coded credentials. Given the nature of the flaw, organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential compromise and implement monitoring for suspicious access patterns to the object store components.