CVE-2025-11670 is a vulnerability identified in Zohocorp's ManageEngine ADManager Plus, a widely used Active Directory management tool. The issue is classified under CWE-200, indicating exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. Specifically, the vulnerability allows the exposure of NTLM hashes, which are hashed representations of Windows credentials. The flaw exists in versions before 8025 and is exploitable only by technicians who have the “Impersonate as Admin” option enabled, meaning that the attacker must already have some level of privileged access within the system. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and requires privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that exploitation can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity (C:L/I:L) but not availability (A:N). Although no known exploits have been observed in the wild, the exposure of NTLM hashes can lead to credential theft, enabling attackers to perform lateral movement, privilege escalation, or persistence within an enterprise network. This is particularly concerning in environments where ADManager Plus is used to manage Active Directory, a critical component of enterprise identity and access management. The vulnerability underscores the importance of controlling privileged access and securing sensitive credential information within administrative tools.

For European organizations, the exposure of NTLM hashes through this vulnerability can lead to significant security risks. Attackers who gain access to these hashes can perform pass-the-hash attacks, enabling lateral movement across networks and potentially compromising multiple systems. This undermines the confidentiality and integrity of enterprise credentials and can facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or data exfiltration. Organizations relying heavily on ManageEngine ADManager Plus for Active Directory management, especially those in sectors like finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, face increased risk. The vulnerability could disrupt trust in identity management and lead to regulatory compliance issues under GDPR if sensitive information is compromised. Additionally, the requirement that the attacker have “Impersonate as Admin” privileges means insider threats or compromised technician accounts pose a particular danger. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable by external attackers without privileges, the impact within compromised environments can be substantial.

To mitigate CVE-2025-11670, European organizations should: 1) Immediately restrict the “Impersonate as Admin” permission to only the most trusted and necessary technicians, implementing strict access controls and regular reviews of privileged accounts. 2) Monitor and audit all activities performed by users with impersonation privileges to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 3) Apply the official patch or update to ManageEngine ADManager Plus version 8025 or later as soon as it becomes available from Zohocorp. 4) Employ network segmentation and least privilege principles to limit the exposure of administrative tools and credentials. 5) Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 6) Implement robust logging and alerting mechanisms to detect pass-the-hash or lateral movement techniques within the network. 7) Educate IT staff about the risks associated with privileged access and the importance of safeguarding credentials. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on privilege management, monitoring, and timely patching specific to the context of this vulnerability.