CVE-2025-1708 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) found in the Endress+Hauser MEAC300-FNADE4 product. This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to inject malicious SQL commands into the application's PostgreSQL database queries. Due to improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands, the attacker can manipulate the database queries to extract sensitive data by dumping the entire database content. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.6, reflecting its high impact and ease of exploitation, as no authentication or user interaction is required. The scope is classified as 'changed' because the vulnerability affects confidentiality without impacting integrity or availability. The product affected is a specialized industrial automation/control system component from Endress+Hauser, a company known for process automation instrumentation. The lack of available patches at the time of publication increases the risk for organizations using this product. Although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a prime candidate for exploitation by threat actors targeting industrial control systems (ICS) and critical infrastructure environments. The ability to dump the PostgreSQL database could expose sensitive operational data, intellectual property, or credentials, potentially enabling further attacks or industrial sabotage.

For European organizations, especially those in industrial sectors such as manufacturing, utilities, and process automation, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Endress+Hauser products are widely used in European industrial environments, including chemical plants, water treatment facilities, and energy production. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive operational data, potentially disrupting industrial processes or exposing proprietary information. While the vulnerability does not directly affect system availability or integrity, the confidentiality breach could facilitate subsequent attacks, including sabotage or espionage. Given Europe's strong regulatory environment around critical infrastructure and data protection (e.g., NIS Directive, GDPR), exploitation could also lead to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The lack of authentication requirement and remote exploitability increases the attack surface, making it easier for attackers to target these systems from outside the network perimeter.

Organizations should immediately conduct an inventory to identify deployments of the Endress+Hauser MEAC300-FNADE4 product. Until a vendor patch is available, network segmentation should be enforced to isolate these devices from untrusted networks and limit access to trusted administrators only. Implement strict firewall rules to restrict inbound traffic to the affected devices, ideally allowing only management traffic from secure, monitored networks. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or database activity monitoring solutions capable of detecting and blocking SQL injection attempts targeting PostgreSQL. Regularly audit logs for unusual database query patterns or access attempts. Coordinate with Endress+Hauser for timely patch releases and apply updates as soon as they become available. Additionally, consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures for SQL injection attacks. Conduct security awareness training for operational technology (OT) staff to recognize and respond to potential exploitation attempts. Finally, implement robust backup and recovery procedures to mitigate potential data loss or corruption from subsequent attacks.