CVE-2025-2251 is a security vulnerability affecting Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 7, specifically within the Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) remote invocation mechanism. The root cause is unsafe deserialization of untrusted data handled by JBoss Marshalling, a component responsible for serializing and deserializing Java objects for remote communication. An attacker can exploit this flaw by sending a specially crafted serialized object to the vulnerable EJB remote interface, triggering deserialization of malicious data. This can lead to remote code execution (RCE) on the affected server without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability arises because the deserialization process does not properly validate or restrict the classes and data being deserialized, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code during object reconstruction. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.2 (medium severity), with vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H, indicating network attack vector, high attack complexity, requiring privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, low confidentiality impact, high integrity and availability impacts. Although the CVSS indicates privileges are required, the description states no authentication is needed, suggesting some ambiguity or that certain configurations may require privileges. No known exploits in the wild have been reported yet. This vulnerability is critical because JBoss EAP is widely used in enterprise Java applications, often hosting business-critical services. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands, compromise data integrity, disrupt availability, and potentially pivot within the network. The lack of authentication requirement significantly increases the attack surface, especially for publicly exposed JBoss EAP instances. The vulnerability underscores the risks of unsafe deserialization in Java applications and the need for strict input validation and secure deserialization practices.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-2251 could be substantial, especially for those relying on Red Hat JBoss EAP 7 to run critical business applications, including financial services, government portals, healthcare systems, and manufacturing control systems. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized remote code execution, allowing attackers to manipulate or steal sensitive data, disrupt services, or deploy ransomware. Given the widespread adoption of JBoss EAP in Europe, particularly in sectors with stringent data protection requirements (e.g., GDPR), a breach could result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited remotely without authentication increases the risk of automated scanning and exploitation campaigns targeting exposed JBoss EAP servers. This could lead to widespread compromise if organizations do not promptly patch or mitigate the vulnerability. Additionally, the integrity and availability impacts could disrupt business operations, causing financial losses and operational downtime. The medium CVSS score may underestimate the real-world risk due to the potential for remote code execution without user interaction. European organizations with internet-facing JBoss EAP deployments are particularly at risk.

1. Immediate application of vendor patches or updates once available from Red Hat is the most effective mitigation. Monitor Red Hat advisories closely for official fixes. 2. If patches are not yet available, restrict network access to the EJB remote invocation ports (default 4447) using firewalls or network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted internal networks only. 3. Disable or restrict the use of remote EJB invocations if not required by the application architecture. 4. Implement strict input validation and deserialization controls, such as using allowlists for classes during deserialization or employing safer serialization frameworks that do not allow arbitrary code execution. 5. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual serialized object payloads or unexpected remote invocation attempts. 6. Employ runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting anomalous deserialization behavior. 7. Conduct security assessments and penetration testing focused on deserialization vulnerabilities in Java applications. 8. Educate development teams on secure coding practices related to serialization and deserialization to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom code.