CVE-2025-64185 in ondemand
Summary
by MITRE • 11/20/2025
Open OnDemand is an open-source HPC portal. Prior to versions 4.0.8 and 3.1.16, Open OnDemand packages create world writable locations in the GEM_PATH. Open OnDemand versions 4.0.8 and 3.1.16 have been patched for this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-64185 affects Open OnDemand, an open-source high performance computing portal that provides web-based access to HPC resources. This portal serves as a critical interface for researchers and scientists to interact with computational clusters, making its security posture essential for protecting sensitive research data and computational infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from improper permission settings in the GEM_PATH directory structure within Open OnDemand packages, creating a significant security risk that could allow unauthorized users to modify critical system components.
The technical flaw manifests in the creation of world-writable locations within the GEM_PATH, which represents a fundamental violation of the principle of least privilege in system security. When directories and files within GEM_PATH are created with world-writable permissions, any user on the system can modify or replace critical components of the Open OnDemand application. This configuration creates a privilege escalation vector where low-privileged users can potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, as the system allows modification of core application libraries and executables. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-732, which describes improper permission assignment for critical system resources, and represents a classic example of insecure default permissions that can lead to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the integrity of the HPC portal environment. In research and academic settings where Open OnDemand is deployed, this vulnerability could enable malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to computational resources, potentially compromising sensitive research data, stealing intellectual property, or disrupting critical computational workflows. The risk is particularly severe in multi-user environments where researchers from different institutions share the same HPC infrastructure, as a single compromised user account could provide access to the entire system. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through improper permissions, and could facilitate further lateral movement within the network.
The patching process for versions 4.0.8 and 3.1.16 addresses the root cause by implementing proper permission controls on GEM_PATH locations, ensuring that only authorized system users or processes can modify critical application components. Organizations using Open OnDemand should immediately upgrade to these patched versions and conduct thorough permission audits of existing installations to ensure no lingering world-writable directories remain. System administrators should also implement monitoring for unauthorized modifications to critical system paths and consider implementing additional security controls such as file integrity monitoring and privilege separation measures to further mitigate potential risks associated with this type of vulnerability.