Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has identified an improper privilege management vulnerability, designated CVE-2025-8309. This vulnerability severely impacts four products from ManageEngine, a division of Zohocorp that delivers real-time IT management tools. The affected products include Asset Explorer, ServiceDesk Plus, ServiceDesk Plus MSP, and SupportCenter Plus. This vulnerability matters because it could potentially compromise systems and lead to data leakage, posing a significant risk to businesses using these ManageEngine solutions.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-8309
Severity: High (CVSS score: 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
ManageEngine Asset Explorer | Before version 7710
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | Before version 15110
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus MSP | Before version 14940
ManageEngine SupportCenter Plus | Before version 14940
How the Exploit Works
The improper privilege management vulnerability allows threat actors to escalate their privileges within the system. It can be exploited by sending a specially crafted request to the server. This request can manipulate the system into granting higher-level privileges than intended, effectively bypassing security measures and granting the attacker unauthorized access. This could potentially lead to system compromise and data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"user_privileges": "admin",
"authenticated_payload": {
"credentials": "attacker_credentials",
"privileges": "elevated"
}
}In this conceptual example, the attacker sends a POST request to a vulnerable endpoint with their credentials and a request for elevated privileges. If the system is vulnerable, it may interpret this request as legitimate and grant the attacker administrative access.
Mitigation and Prevention
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, users of affected ManageEngine products should apply the vendor patch immediately. The patch addresses the improper privilege management issue and secures the system against potential exploits.
In cases where immediate patching is not possible, users may temporarily mitigate the risk by using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS). These tools can help detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, they should be used as a temporary measure until the vendor patch can be applied. Regular patch management practices are a critical part of maintaining a secure IT environment.
