CVE-2025-27025: High-Risk Directory Traversal Vulnerability Due to Unsecure TCP Port Endpoint Access

Overview

CVE-2025-27025 is a recently discovered cybersecurity vulnerability that exposes a high-risk potential for system compromise or data leakage. This vulnerability affects devices that provide a service over a specific TCP port with a configured endpoint. The unsecured access to this endpoint poses a significant risk, as exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, alteration of system files, or even full system compromise. Due to its potential impact, this vulnerability is a concern for system administrators, network security professionals, and anyone responsible for the security of these devices.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-27025
Severity: High (CVSS Severity Score: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

[Product Name] | All previous versions
[Product Name] | All previous versions

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability resides in the Basic Authentication method used for the TCP port’s endpoint. This endpoint accepts PUT and GET methods, which can lead to unauthorized reading or writing of files on the target device’s file system. The endpoint’s lack of proper security measures allows for a Directory Traversal attack, which enables the attacker to access and modify files in any location of the system, even as root.
This vulnerability can be exploited using a tool like Postman to send specially crafted HTTP requests. The use of the PUT method allows an attacker to write files on the system, while the GET method can be used to read any file from the file system.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited using a PUT method to write files to the system:

PUT /target_endpoint/../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1
Host: target_device.com
Authorization: Basic base64encodedcredentials
Content-Type: text/plain
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

In this example, the attacker sends a PUT request to the target endpoint, but uses directory traversal (`../../etc/passwd`) to navigate to a sensitive system file (in this case, the Linux password file). The new line added to the file could give the attacker root access to the system.

Mitigation Guidance

To secure your system against this vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. Pending the release of such a patch, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) could be used as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can be configured to block or alert on suspicious requests that could be attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Regularly monitoring system logs for any unusual activity can also help in early detection of potential exploit attempts.