Overview

In March 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an advisory concerning a critical vulnerability in Rockwell Automation's Verve Asset Manager, identified as CVE-2025-1449. This flaw allows attackers with administrative access to execute arbitrary commands within the service container, posing significant risks to industrial control systems.

Background

Verve Asset Manager is a comprehensive asset management solution designed to provide visibility and control over industrial control system (ICS) assets. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the security and operational integrity of critical manufacturing environments.

Technical Details

The vulnerability arises from improper input validation (CWE-1287) in the administrative web interface of Verve's Legacy Active Directory Interface (ADI) capability, which has been deprecated since version 1.36. Despite its deprecation, the ADI feature remains present in versions up to 1.39, leaving systems susceptible to exploitation.

Affected Versions:
  • Verve Asset Manager: Versions 1.39 and prior
Severity Ratings:
  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.1 (Critical)
  • CVSS v4.0 Base Score: 8.9 (High)
Attack Vector:
  • Network-accessible with low attack complexity
Impact:
  • Allows authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary commands within the service container, potentially compromising the entire industrial network.

Implications and Impact

The exploitation of CVE-2025-1449 could lead to:

  • Unauthorized control over industrial processes
  • Disruption of manufacturing operations
  • Potential safety hazards
  • Financial losses due to operational downtime

Given the critical nature of these systems, the vulnerability underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in industrial environments.

Mitigation Measures

Rockwell Automation has addressed this vulnerability in Verve Asset Manager version 1.40. Users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to this version to mitigate the risk. For those unable to upgrade immediately, the following best practices are recommended:

  • Network Segmentation:
    • Isolate control system networks from business networks and the internet.
  • Access Controls:
    • Restrict administrative access to authorized personnel only.
  • Regular Updates:
    • Apply security patches and updates promptly.
  • Monitoring:
    • Implement continuous monitoring to detect and respond to unauthorized activities.

Conclusion

The discovery of CVE-2025-1449 highlights the ongoing challenges in securing industrial control systems. Organizations must remain vigilant, ensuring that deprecated features are properly managed and that security best practices are consistently applied to protect critical infrastructure.