Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has identified a severe security vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2025-59545, in the Prompt module of DNN (formerly DotNetNuke). DNN is a widely used open-source web content management platform (CMS) within the Microsoft ecosystem. This vulnerability, prevalent in versions prior to 10.1.0, could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage if successfully exploited by a malicious actor. It is crucial for organizations utilizing DNN to understand the implications of this vulnerability and take immediate steps to secure their systems.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-59545
Severity: High (9.0 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Web-based (XSS)
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
DNN | Prior to 10.1.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the Prompt module of DNN. The module allows the execution of commands that can return raw HTML. Therefore, an attacker could craft malicious input, which, even if sanitized for display elsewhere, can be executed when processed through certain commands. This leads to potential script execution, also known as cross-site scripting (XSS), where the attacker can inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This exploitation could lead to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
A potential exploitation could look something like this:
POST /DNNModule/PromptCmd HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"cmd": "<script>alert('This is a XSS attack')</script>"
}In this conceptual example, the attacker sends a POST request to the DNN Prompt module. The malicious payload contains a script that can be executed by the victim’s browser, revealing the vulnerability. In a real-world scenario, the script could be much more malicious, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users of DNN should immediately apply the vendor patch, which was made available in version 10.1.0. For temporary mitigation, users can utilize a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS). However, these are not long-term solutions and users are strongly advised to apply the patch as soon as possible to ensure their systems remain secure.
