CVE-2025-40846 in ITSM
Summary
by MITRE • 05/08/2025
Improper Input Validation, the returnUrl parameter in Account Security Settings lacks proper input validation, allowing attackers to redirect users to malicious websites (Open Redirect) and inject JavaScript code to perform cross site scripting attack.
The vulnerability affects Halo versions up to 2.174.101 and all versions between 2.175.1 and 2.184.21
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-40846 represents a critical security flaw in the Halo content management system that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the Account Security Settings component. This weakness manifests through the improper handling of the returnUrl parameter, which serves as a critical entry point for malicious actors seeking to exploit the system's trust model. The vulnerability exists across a specific range of Halo versions, including all releases up to 2.174.101 and versions within the 2.175.1 to 2.184.21 range, indicating a substantial attack surface that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate the returnUrl parameter in ways that bypass normal security controls and redirect users to malicious websites. This open redirect vulnerability operates under CWE-601, which specifically addresses URL redirection and forwarding mechanisms that fail to validate input properly. The flaw allows threat actors to craft deceptive URLs that appear legitimate while directing users to phishing sites or malicious domains designed to harvest credentials or install malware. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the Halo application and its users, making it particularly dangerous as victims may not immediately recognize they are being redirected to untrusted domains.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks to include cross-site scripting capabilities that enable code injection. When combined with the open redirect mechanism, attackers can inject JavaScript payloads that execute within the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user's privileges. This dual nature of the vulnerability creates multiple attack pathways that can be leveraged to escalate initial access into more severe security breaches. The combination of open redirect and XSS vulnerabilities places this issue in the ATT&CK framework under TA0001 (Initial Access) and TA0002 (Execution) techniques, demonstrating how attackers can use these flaws to establish persistent access and execute malicious code within the target environment.
Security mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-40846 must focus on implementing robust input validation controls that sanitize and validate all user-supplied data, particularly parameters used for URL redirection. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of Halo software that address this vulnerability, while implementing additional security controls such as strict URL validation, whitelisting of trusted domains, and comprehensive monitoring of redirect behavior. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all input handling mechanisms, implementation of proper encoding for URL parameters, and deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious redirect patterns. Additionally, security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar input validation flaws that may exist in other components of the system, ensuring comprehensive protection against related attack vectors that could compromise the overall security posture of the Halo deployment.