CVE-2025-5451 in Connect Secure
Summary
by MITRE • 07/08/2025
A stack-based buffer overflow in Ivanti Connect Secure before version 22.7R2.8 and Ivanti Policy Secure before version 22.7R1.5 allows a remote authenticated attacker with admin rights to trigger a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-5451 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw affecting Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure products. This vulnerability resides within the authentication handling mechanisms of these network security appliances, specifically in versions prior to 22.7R2.8 for Connect Secure and 22.7R1.5 for Policy Secure. The flaw manifests when the system processes certain administrative commands, creating conditions where an attacker can manipulate input parameters to overflow stack memory buffers. Such buffer overflows typically occur when programs write data beyond the allocated memory boundaries, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes or system instability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only administrative authentication to exploit, meaning that an attacker who has already gained administrative access can leverage this flaw to cause denial of service conditions. The attack vector involves sending specially crafted requests to the affected systems, which when processed by the vulnerable software components trigger the buffer overflow condition. This flaw aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to system instability. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability directly impacts the availability and reliability of critical network security infrastructure, potentially disrupting legitimate administrative operations and creating opportunities for extended service disruption. The implications extend beyond simple denial of service as the instability introduced by such buffer overflows can also create potential pathways for additional exploitation attempts or may obscure legitimate security events from detection systems. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by its requirement for only administrative credentials, suggesting that a compromised administrative account could be leveraged to cause significant disruption. Organizations utilizing these security appliances should prioritize immediate patching to address this vulnerability, as the combination of remote exploitability and administrative privilege requirements creates a high-risk scenario for network security operations. The flaw demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices and input validation in security-critical applications, particularly those handling privileged administrative functions. This vulnerability also intersects with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, as the primary impact is service disruption rather than data compromise. Security teams should monitor for unusual administrative activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also ensuring that administrative access controls remain robust and that privileged accounts are adequately protected through multi-factor authentication and least privilege principles.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow vulnerability likely occurs within the application's command processing or configuration handling modules, where insufficient bounds checking allows maliciously crafted inputs to exceed allocated buffer space. When the vulnerable code executes, it writes data beyond the intended memory boundaries, potentially overwriting adjacent stack variables, return addresses, or other critical program data structures. This memory corruption can result in program termination, unexpected behavior, or in some cases, may provide opportunities for more sophisticated exploitation techniques if additional vulnerabilities exist. The specific conditions that trigger this vulnerability involve the processing of administrative commands that require extensive parameter validation or complex parsing operations. The vulnerability's classification as stack-based indicates that the overflow occurs in the program's stack memory region, which typically contains function call information, local variables, and return addresses. This memory layout makes such vulnerabilities particularly dangerous as corruption of return addresses can potentially allow attackers to redirect program execution flow, though the current assessment indicates this is primarily a denial of service vector. The vulnerability's presence in administrative interfaces suggests that the attack surface includes configuration management, user account management, and policy enforcement functions that are fundamental to these security appliances' operations. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous administrative traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The patching process for this vulnerability requires careful planning and testing, as security appliances often operate in critical network environments where downtime must be minimized. System administrators should verify that the updated versions maintain all required functionality while addressing the identified buffer overflow conditions. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes that can identify and remediate such flaws before they can be exploited in production environments.