Overview
Recently, a serious security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-48017, has been discovered which affects the Circuit Provisioning and File Import applications. This vulnerability stems from improper limitation of a pathname that can result in unauthorized modification and uploading of files. This issue is particularly detrimental as it renders systems vulnerable to potential compromise and data leakage. It is therefore critical for organizations using the affected systems to understand the nature of this vulnerability and take the necessary steps to mitigate it.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48017
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.0)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Circuit Provisioning | All prior versions to 1.5.3
File Import | All prior versions to 2.1.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises due to a flaw in the input validation mechanism of the Circuit Provisioning and File Import applications. These applications do not correctly limit the pathname during file operations. As a result, an attacker can manipulate the pathname input field to point to a different file location. This allows the attacker to modify an existing file or upload a new file to any location on the system. If the uploaded file is a malicious script or executable, the attacker could potentially gain unauthorized control over the system.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /upload_file HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="/etc/passwd"
Content-Type: text/plain
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--
In this example, the attacker is attempting to overwrite the /etc/passwd file, which contains user account information on a Unix-like system. If successful, the attacker could modify user privileges or add new users with administrative privileges.
Mitigation
Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch to fix this vulnerability. In cases where immediate patching is not possible, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. Regular monitoring of system logs for unusual activity can also help in early detection of potential exploits.