CVE-2025-41054 in CMF
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2025
A vulnerability has been discovered in appRain CMF version 4.0.5, consisting of a stored authenticated XSS due to a lack of proper validation of user input, through the 'data[Addon][layouts]' and 'data[Addon][layouts_except]' parameters in /apprain/developer/addons/update/cycle.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-41054 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the appRain Content Management Framework version 4.0.5. This vulnerability exists in the administrative update cycle functionality where the application fails to properly sanitize user input before storing and subsequently rendering it within web pages. The flaw specifically affects the 'data[Addon][layouts]' and 'data[Addon][layouts_except]' parameters that are processed through the /apprain/developer/addons/update/cycle endpoint, making it accessible to authenticated attackers who possess sufficient privileges to modify addon configurations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the application's data processing pipeline. When administrators or authorized users submit data containing malicious script payloads through these specific parameters, the application stores the input without proper sanitization or escaping mechanisms. Subsequently, when the stored data is rendered in the web interface, the malicious scripts execute in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected pages. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists even after the initial submission, allowing attackers to compromise multiple users over time without requiring repeated exploitation attempts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations utilizing appRain CMF version 4.0.5. An attacker with valid credentials can manipulate the application's addon configurations to inject malicious scripts that could steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to compromise user accounts through external means but can leverage existing administrative privileges to establish persistent malicious presence within the application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-41054 should prioritize immediate application updates to patched versions that implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should enforce strict sanitization of all user-supplied data before storage, particularly for parameters that are rendered in web contexts. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth against script execution, while regular security audits of input handling routines should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious parameter submissions, and access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only necessary personnel have administrative privileges that could be exploited. Additionally, implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can detect similar stored XSS patterns across the application codebase will help prevent future occurrences of this class of vulnerability.