CVE-2022-35259 is a high-severity XML Injection vulnerability (CWE-91) affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager versions 2022.3 and below. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization of XML input, allowing an attacker to inject malicious XML content. Exploitation can lead to the download and potential execution of a malicious file on the endpoint manager system. This can result in unauthorized privilege escalation, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact with low attack complexity and no privileges required, but user interaction is necessary. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning the attacker must have local access to the system. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially gaining control over the endpoint management infrastructure, which is critical for managing enterprise endpoints. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the critical role of Ivanti Endpoint Manager in enterprise IT environments. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting increases the urgency for mitigation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be severe. Ivanti Endpoint Manager is widely used for centralized management of endpoints, including patch management, software deployment, and security policy enforcement. Compromise of this system could allow attackers to distribute malicious payloads across an organization's entire network, leading to widespread infection, data breaches, and operational disruption. Confidential data managed or accessible through endpoints could be exfiltrated or altered. Integrity of endpoint configurations and security policies could be undermined, weakening the organization's security posture. Availability of endpoint management services could be disrupted, impacting IT operations and incident response capabilities. Given the high integration of Ivanti Endpoint Manager in enterprise environments, the ripple effect of a successful attack could be extensive, affecting multiple sectors including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government institutions across Europe.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting local access to Ivanti Endpoint Manager systems to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 2. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all XML inputs processed by the endpoint manager to prevent injection attacks. 3. Employ application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions to detect and block unauthorized file downloads and executions initiated by the endpoint manager. 4. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual activity related to the endpoint manager, such as unexpected file downloads or execution attempts. 5. Isolate the endpoint manager infrastructure within segmented network zones with limited access to reduce lateral movement in case of compromise. 6. Engage with Ivanti support or security advisories regularly to obtain and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available. 7. Conduct security awareness training for administrators managing the endpoint manager to recognize and respond to suspicious activities. 8. Consider deploying additional runtime application self-protection (RASP) or web application firewall (WAF) solutions that can detect and block XML injection attempts in real time.