Overview of CVE-2025-22457

In early April 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a critical vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-22457, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. This vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow affecting multiple Ivanti products, including Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and Neurons for Zero Trust Access (ZTA) Gateways. Successful exploitation allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code, posing significant risks to organizations relying on these solutions for secure network access.

Background Information

Ivanti Products Affected:
  • Ivanti Connect Secure: A VPN solution providing secure remote access to corporate resources.
  • Ivanti Policy Secure: A network access control (NAC) solution enforcing security policies and controlling network access.
  • Ivanti Neurons for ZTA Gateways: Zero Trust Network Access gateways offering secure application access based on identity and context.
Vulnerability Details:
  • CVE Identifier: CVE-2025-22457
  • Severity: Critical (CVSS Score: 9.0)
  • Type: Stack-based buffer overflow
  • Affected Versions:
    • Ivanti Connect Secure: Versions 22.7R2.5 and earlier
    • Pulse Connect Secure: Versions 9.1R18.9 and earlier (End-of-Support as of December 31, 2024)
    • Ivanti Policy Secure: Versions 22.7R1.3 and earlier
    • ZTA Gateways: Versions 22.8R2 and earlier

Implications and Impact

Active Exploitation:

Security researchers from Mandiant and Google's Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) have observed active exploitation of CVE-2025-22457 since mid-March 2025. The attacks have been attributed to a suspected China-nexus cyber espionage group known as UNC5221. This group has deployed malware families such as TRAILBLAZE (an in-memory dropper) and BRUSHFIRE (a passive backdoor) to establish persistent access to compromised systems. Additionally, components from the previously reported SPAWN malware ecosystem have been utilized in these attacks.

Potential Consequences:
  • Unauthorized Access: Attackers can gain full control over affected systems, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data and internal networks.
  • Data Exfiltration: Compromised systems may be used to exfiltrate confidential information, posing significant risks to organizational security.
  • Operational Disruption: Exploitation can result in system instability or downtime, disrupting critical business operations.
  • Lateral Movement: Attackers may use compromised devices as entry points to move laterally within the network, potentially compromising additional systems.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism:

CVE-2025-22457 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. It occurs due to improper handling of input data, allowing an attacker to overwrite parts of the stack memory. This can lead to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous.

Exploitation Techniques:
  • Patch Analysis: UNC5221 likely analyzed the patch released in February 2025 (ICS 22.7R2.6) to develop an exploit targeting earlier versions.
  • Malware Deployment: Post-exploitation, attackers have deployed custom malware to maintain persistence and facilitate further malicious activities.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediate Actions:
  1. Patch Affected Systems:
  • Ivanti Connect Secure: Upgrade to version 22.7R2.6 or later.
  • Ivanti Policy Secure: Apply version 22.7R1.4 (scheduled for release on April 21, 2025).
  • ZTA Gateways: Ensure automatic updates are enabled to receive version 22.8R2.2 (scheduled for release on April 19, 2025).
  1. Discontinue Use of End-of-Support Products:
  • Pulse Connect Secure: This product reached end-of-support on December 31, 2024. Organizations should migrate to supported solutions such as Ivanti Connect Secure.
  1. Monitor for Indicators of Compromise (IoCs):
  • Utilize Ivanti's Integrity Checker Tool (ICT) to scan for signs of exploitation.
  • Look for anomalies such as unexpected web server crashes or unauthorized access attempts.
  1. Incident Response:
  • If evidence of compromise is detected, perform a factory reset of the affected appliance.
  • Reinstall the latest software version and reconfigure the device before returning it to production.
Long-Term Recommendations:
  • Regular Software Updates: Maintain up-to-date software versions to protect against known vulnerabilities.
  • Network Segmentation: Isolate critical systems to limit potential attack surfaces.
  • User Training: Educate staff on recognizing phishing attempts and other common attack vectors.
  • Implement Zero Trust Principles: Verify all users and devices before granting access to network resources.

Conclusion

The discovery and active exploitation of CVE-2025-22457 underscore the importance of proactive vulnerability management and timely patching. Organizations utilizing Ivanti products must take immediate steps to mitigate this critical vulnerability to protect their networks and sensitive data from potential compromise.