VulnerabilityPublished 18 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-14849: Advantech WebAccess/SCADA · Unrestricted File Upload

Affects Advantech WebAccess/SCADASource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 49% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Dec 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Advantech WebAccess/SCADA	Affected =9.2.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Apply vendor patches immediately once released; monitor Advantech advisories closely.
Implement strict network segmentation to isolate SCADA systems from general IT networks and the internet, reducing exposure.
Enforce strict file upload validation policies, including whitelisting allowed file types and scanning uploaded files for malicious content.
Deploy application-layer firewalls or web application firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block suspicious upload attempts.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on file upload functionalities within SCADA environments.
Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual file upload activities or execution of unauthorized files.
Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary, especially for accounts with file upload capabilities.
Educate operational technology (OT) staff on the risks of file upload vulnerabilities and incident response procedures.
Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tailored for industrial control systems.
Maintain offline backups of critical SCADA configurations and data to enable recovery in case of compromise.

Description

CVE-2025-14849 is a high-severity vulnerability in Advantech WebAccess/SCADA version 9.2.1 that allows unrestricted file upload, enabling remote attackers with low privileges to execute arbitrary code without user interaction. This vulnerability arises from improper validation of uploaded files (CWE-434), potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a significant risk for industrial control systems relying on this SCADA platform. European organizations operating critical infrastructure using Advantech WebAccess/SCADA are at risk, especially in countries with high adoption of industrial automation and manufacturing sectors. Mitigation requires immediate application of vendor patches once available, strict network segmentation, and enhanced monitoring of file upload functionalities. Countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and the UK are likely most affected due to their industrial base and use of such SCADA systems. Given the ease of exploitation over the network with low privileges and no user interaction, the threat severity is high.

Impact

For European organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities, this vulnerability poses a severe risk. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized control over SCADA systems, resulting in operational disruptions, safety hazards, and data breaches. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability means attackers could manipulate control processes, exfiltrate sensitive operational data, or cause denial of service conditions. Given the increasing digitization and automation in European industries, the potential for cascading effects on supply chains and public services is significant. The vulnerability’s remote exploitability and low privilege requirement increase the likelihood of attacks, particularly from insider threats or lateral movement after initial network compromise. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the risk of rapid exploitation once proof-of-concept code becomes available is high. Organizations relying on Advantech WebAccess/SCADA 9.2.1 must consider this vulnerability critical to their cybersecurity posture.

Summary

CVE-2025-14849 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type) affecting Advantech WebAccess/SCADA version 9.2.1. The flaw allows an attacker with low privileges to upload arbitrary files without proper validation or restriction, which can lead to remote code execution (RCE). This means an attacker can place malicious files on the server that the system may execute, compromising the underlying operating system and the SCADA application itself. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and only low privileges (PR:L) without any user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H), reflecting the potential for full system compromise. Advantech WebAccess/SCADA is widely used in industrial environments for monitoring and controlling critical infrastructure, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous. No patches were linked at the time of disclosure, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability’s characteristics suggest it could be weaponized quickly. The unrestricted file upload issue stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient controls on file types and content, a common weakness in web applications that handle file uploads. This vulnerability poses a significant risk to industrial control systems, potentially allowing attackers to disrupt operations, steal sensitive data, or cause physical damage through manipulated control commands.

CWE-434Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumCWE Top 25 (2025): #12OWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.
Architecture and Design
Generate a new, unique filename for an uploaded file instead of using the user-supplied filename, so that no external input is used at all.
Architecture and Design · Enforcement by Conversion
When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.
Architecture and Design
Consider storing the uploaded files outside of the web document root entirely. Then, use other mechanisms to deliver the files dynamically.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Server Side Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Web Service Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
File Upload (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.1.5 (opens in a new tab)
V12.2.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Dec 2025, 21:12 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-434

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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