Overview

Microsoft has recently addressed a critical security vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-29813, affecting Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Services. This elevation of privilege flaw arises from improper handling of pipeline job tokens within Visual Studio, potentially allowing attackers to extend their access within Azure DevOps projects.

Technical Details

The vulnerability is rooted in the way Visual Studio manages pipeline job tokens. Specifically, an attacker with initial project access could exploit this flaw by swapping short-term tokens for long-term ones, thereby maintaining unauthorized access over extended periods. This issue has been classified under CWE-302: Authentication Bypass by Assumed-Immutable Data.

Key Technical Aspects:
  • Attack Vector: Network
  • Attack Complexity: Low
  • Privileges Required: None
  • User Interaction: None
  • Scope: Changed
  • Confidentiality Impact: High
  • Integrity Impact: High
  • Availability Impact: High

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has assigned this vulnerability a score of 10.0, indicating its critical severity.

Implications and Impact

Exploitation of CVE-2025-29813 could have severe consequences, including:

  • Unauthorized extension of access privileges within a project.
  • Potential compromise of project confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
  • Execution of attacks across networks without user interaction.

Given the critical nature of this vulnerability, organizations utilizing Azure DevOps Server are at significant risk if the issue remains unaddressed.

Mitigation Measures

Microsoft has released a security update to rectify this vulnerability by correcting how Visual Studio handles pipeline job tokens. Organizations are strongly advised to:

  1. Apply the Security Update: Ensure that the latest security patches from Microsoft are applied promptly to mitigate the vulnerability.
  2. Review Access Controls: Regularly audit and restrict project access controls to minimize potential attack vectors.
  3. Monitor Token Usage: Implement strict token rotation policies and monitor token usage to detect and prevent unauthorized access.
  4. Audit Project Permissions: Conduct thorough audits of existing project permissions to identify and rectify any anomalies.
  5. Enhance Authentication Mechanisms: Implement additional authentication measures to bolster security within Azure DevOps environments.

Conclusion

The discovery and subsequent patching of CVE-2025-29813 underscore the importance of proactive security measures in software development environments. Organizations must remain vigilant, promptly apply security updates, and continuously monitor their systems to safeguard against potential threats.

Summary

Microsoft has patched a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability (CVE-2025-29813) in Azure DevOps Server, which could allow attackers to extend their access within projects. Organizations are urged to apply the security update and implement recommended mitigation measures to protect their environments.

Meta Description

Microsoft addresses critical elevation of privilege vulnerability (CVE-2025-29813) in Azure DevOps Server; organizations urged to apply security updates promptly.

Tags

  • azure devops
  • cve-2025-29813
  • cyber threats
  • cybersecurity
  • devops security
  • elevation of privilege
  • information security
  • microsoft security
  • pipeline security
  • project security
  • security advisory
  • security fix
  • security vulnerability
  • software update
  • team foundation server
  • token handling
  • update notice
  • vulnerability patch

Reference Links

  • {"title": "Microsoft Security Update Guide: CVE-2025-29813", "url": "https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-29813", "source": "Microsoft", "description": "Official Microsoft advisory detailing the CVE-2025-29813 vulnerability and mitigation steps."}
  • {"title": "Tenable: CVE-2025-29813", "url": "https://www.tenable.com/cve/CVE-2025-29813", "source": "Tenable", "description": "Analysis and details of CVE-2025-29813 provided by Tenable."}
  • {"title": "GBHackers: Critical Azure and Power Apps Vulnerabilities", "url": "https://gbhackers.com/critical-azure-and-power-apps-vulnerabilities/", "source": "GBHackers", "description": "Report on critical vulnerabilities in Azure and Power Apps, including CVE-2025-29813."}
  • {"title": "Cybersecurity News: Critical Azure & Power Apps Vulnerabilities", "url": "https://cybersecuritynews.com/critical-azure-power-apps-vulnerabilities/", "source": "Cybersecurity News", "description": "Coverage of critical vulnerabilities affecting Azure and Power Apps platforms."}
  • {"title": "Enginsight Vulnerability Database: CVE-2025-29813", "url": "https://cve.enginsight.com/2025/29813/index.html", "source": "Enginsight", "description": "Detailed information on CVE-2025-29813 from Enginsight's vulnerability database."}