CVE-2025-0249 is a vulnerability identified in HCL Software's IEM product, specifically version 1.2. The issue stems from improper invalidation of access or JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), which are commonly used for authentication and session management. In this case, tokens that should have been invalidated remain valid, allowing an attacker who possesses such a token to bypass proper authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287, which relates to improper authentication mechanisms. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.3, indicating a low severity level. The vector details show that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires high attack complexity (AC:H), requires privileges (PR:H), does not require user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality and integrity to a low degree (C:L/I:L), with no impact on availability (A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability's root cause is the failure to properly invalidate JWTs after their intended use or revocation, which can lead to session hijacking or unauthorized data access if an attacker can obtain a valid token. This flaw can be exploited remotely but requires the attacker to have high privileges or prior access to the system to obtain or reuse tokens. The lack of user interaction simplifies exploitation once the attacker has the required privileges. Overall, this vulnerability represents a session management weakness that could be leveraged in targeted attacks to access sensitive information within the HCL IEM environment.

For European organizations using HCL IEM version 1.2, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational or monitoring data managed by the IEM platform. Although the CVSS score is low, the impact on confidentiality and integrity could be significant depending on the nature of the data handled by IEM, such as infrastructure monitoring, event management, or security alerts. Attackers with sufficient privileges could maintain unauthorized access by exploiting the token invalidation flaw, potentially leading to data leakage or manipulation. This could undermine trust in the monitoring infrastructure and affect compliance with European data protection regulations like GDPR if personal or sensitive data is exposed. Additionally, since the vulnerability does not affect availability, service disruption is unlikely, but stealthy data breaches or unauthorized data modifications remain a concern. The requirement for high privileges to exploit the vulnerability somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where privilege escalation or insider threats are possible.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading or patching HCL IEM to versions where this vulnerability is addressed once patches become available. In the interim, organizations should implement strict access controls and monitoring to limit the number of users with high privileges who can obtain or reuse JWT tokens. Regularly auditing token issuance and revocation processes can help detect anomalies. Employing short-lived tokens and enforcing token expiration policies can reduce the window of opportunity for token reuse. Additionally, integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged accounts can mitigate risks associated with token compromise. Network segmentation and monitoring for unusual access patterns to the IEM system can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. Finally, organizations should review and enhance their incident response plans to quickly address any unauthorized access incidents related to token misuse.