CVE-2025-41250 in vCenter
Summary
by MITRE • 09/29/2025
VMware vCenter contains an SMTP header injection vulnerability. A malicious actor with non-administrative privileges on vCenter who has permission to create scheduled tasks may be able to manipulate the notification emails sent for scheduled tasks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-41250 represents a critical SMTP header injection flaw within VMware vCenter Server that undermines the integrity of email notification systems. This vulnerability specifically affects the handling of email headers in scheduled task notifications, creating a pathway for unauthorized manipulation of email communication flows. The flaw exists in the email processing mechanisms that govern how vCenter generates and sends notifications to users when scheduled tasks execute, potentially allowing attackers to inject malicious headers or content into these automated communications. The security implications extend beyond simple email manipulation as this vulnerability could enable broader reconnaissance and attack vectors through compromised notification channels.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the email header generation process for scheduled task notifications. When vCenter processes scheduled tasks that are configured to send email alerts, the system fails to properly validate or escape user-supplied data that may be incorporated into SMTP headers. This inadequate sanitization creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious header values such as additional recipients, subject line modifications, or even embedded payload delivery mechanisms. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the email subsystem that handles automated notifications, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through legitimate administrative functions.
Operational impact assessment reveals that this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on vCenter's scheduled task notification systems. Malicious actors with minimal privileges can potentially intercept, redirect, or manipulate critical operational communications, including system alerts, backup status notifications, or security event reports. The ability to manipulate email headers could enable attackers to establish persistence mechanisms by redirecting notifications to attacker-controlled addresses, or to conduct phishing attacks by modifying email content and headers to appear legitimate. Additionally, the vulnerability undermines the trust model of automated system communications, potentially masking actual security incidents or system failures through manipulated notification content.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting user permissions for scheduled task creation, implementing network-level email filtering to detect and block suspicious header patterns, and monitoring email delivery logs for anomalous header modifications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-1107 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in email headers and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in email systems. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of scheduled task configurations and email notification settings, while also implementing email security solutions that can detect header injection attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments should be performed to identify similar weaknesses in other email processing components, and access controls should be tightened to prevent unauthorized users from creating or modifying scheduled tasks that generate email notifications.