Overview
The cybersecurity world is facing yet another challenge with the discovery of a new vulnerability, CVE-2025-2160, affecting multiple versions of the Pega Platform. This vulnerability is a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue that resides within the Mashup functionality of the platform. XSS is one of the most prevalent and potentially harmful web application vulnerabilities as it allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This vulnerability, if exploited, can lead to serious consequences such as system compromise or data leakage.
Given the widespread use of Pega Platform across industries and the severity of the vulnerability, it is critical for organizations to take immediate remedial actions. This post will provide a detailed understanding of this vulnerability and its potential impact, along with mitigation measures.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-2160
Severity: High (CVSS 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Pega Platform | 8.4.3 to Infinity 24.2.1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability exists due to improper sanitization of user-supplied input within the Mashup functionality of the Pega Platform. An attacker can craft a malicious payload, which, when processed by the application, results in arbitrary script execution in the victim’s browser. This could lead to various malicious activities such as stealing sensitive information, session hijacking, or even delivering malware.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. However, note that this is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute an actual exploit.
GET /mashup?param=<script>malicious_code_here</script> HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable.example.comIn this example, a malicious script (`malicious_code_here`) is injected into a parameter (`param`) of the Mashup functionality.
Mitigation Measures
The primary mitigation measure for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-provided patch. Organizations using the affected Pega Platform versions should upgrade to a patched version as soon as possible. In the interim, organizations can leverage Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) as temporary mitigation. Moreover, it is always a good practice to enforce a strong Content Security Policy (CSP) to mitigate the risk of XSS attacks. Furthermore, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments can help in early detection and mitigation of such vulnerabilities.