CVE-2025-22457 is a critical stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in multiple Ivanti products, including Ivanti Connect Secure, Ivanti Policy Secure, and Ivanti ZTA Gateways. Specifically, this vulnerability affects versions prior to 22.7R2.6 for Connect Secure, 22.7R1.4 for Policy Secure, and 22.8R2.2 for ZTA Gateways. The flaw arises from improper handling of input data on the stack, which allows a remote attacker to overflow a buffer and overwrite adjacent memory. This can lead to arbitrary code execution without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.0 reflects the critical nature of this vulnerability, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H), meaning an attacker can fully compromise the affected system. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability’s characteristics make it a prime target for exploitation once weaponized. Ivanti Connect Secure and related products are widely used as VPN and secure remote access solutions, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to gain persistent, unauthorized access to corporate networks remotely. The stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) is a well-understood class of vulnerability that often leads to remote code execution, privilege escalation, and system compromise if exploited successfully.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-22457 is significant due to the widespread adoption of Ivanti Connect Secure and related products in enterprise environments for secure remote access. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, allowing attackers to bypass authentication, execute arbitrary code, and potentially move laterally within the network. This threatens the confidentiality of sensitive data, including personal data protected under GDPR, as well as the integrity and availability of critical IT infrastructure. Given the remote, unauthenticated nature of the exploit, attackers could launch attacks from anywhere, increasing the risk of widespread disruption. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure in Europe are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on secure remote access solutions and the high value of their data. Additionally, the potential for ransomware deployment or espionage activities following exploitation could have severe operational and reputational consequences for affected organizations.

European organizations should immediately assess their exposure to Ivanti Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and ZTA Gateways and prioritize patching to the fixed versions (22.7R2.6 for Connect Secure, 22.7R1.4 for Policy Secure, and 22.8R2.2 for ZTA Gateways) as soon as they become available. Until patches are applied, organizations should implement network-level mitigations such as restricting access to the affected services to trusted IP addresses only, using VPN gateways behind firewalls with strict ingress filtering, and monitoring network traffic for anomalous activity targeting these products. Employing intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with updated signatures can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough audits of remote access logs to identify suspicious connections and consider temporary disabling or isolating vulnerable systems if patching is delayed. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on remote access solutions can reduce the risk of unauthorized access, although it does not mitigate the vulnerability itself. Finally, organizations should prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential exploitation of this vulnerability to ensure rapid containment and remediation.