CVE-2025-3838 in OVA based Connect
Summary
by MITRE • 04/21/2025
An Improper Authorization vulnerability was identified in the EOL OVA based connect component which is deployed for installation purposes in the customer internal network. Under certain conditions, this could allow a bad actor to gain unauthorized access to the local db containing weakly hashed credentials of the installer. This EOL component was deprecated in September 2023 with end of support extended till January 2024.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2025-3838 represents a critical improper authorization flaw within an end-of-life ova based connect component that was historically deployed for installation purposes within customer internal networks. This component, which reached its end-of-life status in September 2023 with extended support until January 2024, continues to pose significant security risks due to its deprecated status and the inherent weaknesses in its authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically targets the local database component that stores installer credentials using weak hashing algorithms, creating an exploitable condition that allows unauthorized actors to access sensitive authentication data.
The technical flaw manifests through inadequate authorization controls that fail to properly validate access requests to the local database containing hashed credentials. This weakness falls under CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and represents a fundamental failure in access control implementation. The use of weakly hashed credentials indicates a failure to implement modern cryptographic standards for credential storage, potentially allowing attackers to reverse engineer or brute force the stored authentication information. The vulnerability's exploitation scenario involves an attacker leveraging the improper authorization to gain access to the database, where they can then extract and potentially utilize the weakly hashed credentials for further attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations that may still be running deprecated components in their internal networks. The attack surface expands beyond typical network boundaries since the component was designed for internal installation purposes, meaning that attackers who gain access to the local network environment can exploit this weakness to obtain installer credentials. This represents a critical compromise that could enable lateral movement within the network, privilege escalation, and potentially full system compromise. The extended support period until January 2024 suggests that organizations may still be operating vulnerable systems, increasing the window of opportunity for exploitation. The impact aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers credential harvesting through various methods including database access and credential dumping.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies focusing on component removal and network segmentation to prevent unauthorized access to vulnerable systems. The most effective approach involves decommissioning the deprecated ova based connect component entirely, as continued operation poses unacceptable risk levels. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate any remaining instances of the component from critical systems, while access controls should be strengthened to prevent unauthorized database access. Additionally, organizations must conduct comprehensive inventory audits to identify any remaining instances of this deprecated component within their infrastructure. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to database systems containing legacy credential storage, with particular attention to anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and avoiding the deployment of unsupported software components that may contain known security flaws.