CVE-2025-14376 identifies a critical security flaw in the legacy ADI server component of Rockwell Automation's Verve Asset Manager. The vulnerability is due to the insecure storage of sensitive information—specifically plaintext secrets—in environment variables on the ADI server. Environment variables are often accessible to processes and users with sufficient privileges, and storing secrets in plaintext significantly increases the risk of unauthorized disclosure. The ADI server component has been deprecated and made optional since version 1.36 released in 2024, but versions from 1.33 through 1.41.3 remain affected. The vulnerability requires an attacker to have local access with high privileges (PR:H) and partial authentication (AT:P), but does not require user interaction (UI:N). The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates a local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (all high). This means an attacker with sufficient privileges could extract sensitive secrets, potentially leading to further compromise of the asset manager or connected systems. No public exploits are known yet, but the high severity score reflects the potential damage. The affected product is widely used in industrial environments for asset management, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for operational technology (OT) environments where confidentiality and integrity are critical. The lack of official patches suggests that mitigation relies on configuration changes, component removal, or upgrades to versions that do not include the legacy ADI server.

The impact on European organizations could be significant, especially those in manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors that rely on Rockwell Automation's Verve Asset Manager for asset tracking and management. Exposure of plaintext secrets could allow attackers to escalate privileges, move laterally within networks, or disrupt asset management operations, potentially leading to operational downtime or safety risks. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive operational data or credentials, while integrity compromises could allow manipulation of asset information, undermining trust in the system. Availability impacts could arise if attackers leverage the vulnerability to disrupt services. Given the high CVSS score and the critical role of asset management in industrial environments, the vulnerability poses a substantial risk to European OT environments. Organizations using affected versions without mitigation are at risk of targeted attacks, especially in sectors with high automation adoption.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should first identify any deployments of Verve Asset Manager versions 1.33 through 1.41.3 that include the legacy ADI server component. Since the component is optional and retired since version 1.36, organizations should disable or remove the legacy ADI server entirely. If removal is not immediately feasible, restrict access to the environment variables on the ADI server by enforcing strict file system permissions and limiting administrative access. Implement environment variable encryption or secret management solutions to avoid plaintext storage of sensitive data. Upgrade to the latest versions of Verve Asset Manager that do not include the legacy ADI server or have addressed this issue. Additionally, conduct regular audits of environment variables and credentials stored on servers. Network segmentation and monitoring for unusual local access attempts can further reduce risk. Finally, train administrators on secure handling of secrets and environment variables to prevent recurrence.