CVE-2025-31953 in iAutomate
Summary
by MITRE • 07/25/2025
HCL iAutomate includes hardcoded credentials which may result in potential exposure of confidential data if intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-31953 affects HCL iAutomate, a workflow automation platform designed for enterprise environments. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the software's credential management practices, where hardcoded authentication credentials are embedded within the application code or configuration files. The presence of such credentials creates a persistent security risk that extends beyond typical authentication mechanisms and fundamentally compromises the platform's security posture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from poor secure coding practices where developers embedded sensitive authentication information directly into the software source code or configuration files rather than implementing proper credential management systems. This approach violates fundamental security principles and creates a scenario where any individual with access to the application's codebase or deployment artifacts can extract these hardcoded credentials. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software applications, and represents a classic example of insecure credential storage practices that have been consistently flagged as high-risk by security frameworks and standards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential exposure, as it creates a persistent backdoor for unauthorized access to the automated workflows and associated systems. When credentials are hardcoded, they remain static and unchanged throughout the application lifecycle, making them particularly attractive targets for attackers who may gain access through various vectors including code repository breaches, insider threats, or compromised development environments. The exposure of these credentials could potentially provide attackers with access to enterprise workflows, automated processes, and underlying systems that depend on the iAutomate platform, leading to data breaches, process manipulation, and unauthorized system access.
Organizations utilizing HCL iAutomate must implement immediate remediation measures to address this vulnerability, including replacing hardcoded credentials with secure credential management solutions such as environment variables, secure vaults, or integrated authentication systems. The remediation process should involve comprehensive code reviews to identify all instances of hardcoded credentials and the implementation of proper credential rotation policies. Security teams should also conduct thorough assessments of the affected environment to determine if any unauthorized access has occurred through the exposure of these credentials, while implementing monitoring systems to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to secure development practices and implementing proper credential lifecycle management as outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 security controls, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all authentication mechanisms within enterprise systems.