CVE-2025-24291 is a vulnerability identified in the Versa Director SD-WAN orchestration platform, specifically affecting versions 21.2.2, 21.2.3, 22.1.1, 22.1.2, 22.1.3, and 22.1.4. The vulnerability arises from an argument injection flaw in the Java code responsible for handling file uploads. Normally, the platform enforces MIME type validation to restrict the types of files that can be uploaded via its GUI. However, due to improper sanitization of the file name input, an attacker can append additional arguments to the file name, effectively bypassing MIME type checks. This allows the attacker to upload arbitrary file types, including potentially malicious files, onto the system's disk. The ability to place arbitrary files on disk can lead to further exploitation, such as executing malicious scripts or code if the files are processed or accessed by other components of the system. The vulnerability requires high privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R) to exploit, indicating that an attacker must have authenticated access to the platform and perform an action such as uploading a file through the GUI. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1, categorized as medium severity, reflecting the significant impact on confidentiality and integrity but no direct impact on availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, but proof-of-concept code has been disclosed by third-party researchers. Versa Networks recommends upgrading to remediated software versions as there are no workarounds to disable the vulnerable GUI upload functionality. This vulnerability is critical to address in environments where Versa Director is deployed, as it could allow an insider or compromised user account to introduce malicious files that may facilitate further attacks or data breaches.

For European organizations using Versa Director for SD-WAN orchestration, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of their network management infrastructure. An attacker with authenticated access could upload malicious files that might be used to escalate privileges, implant backdoors, or exfiltrate sensitive configuration data. Given that SD-WAN controllers manage critical network traffic and policies, compromise could lead to unauthorized network manipulation or interception of data flows. Although availability is not directly impacted, the integrity breach could disrupt network security postures and trust in the orchestration platform. The requirement for high privileges and user interaction limits the attack surface to insiders or compromised accounts, but the potential for lateral movement and persistence within the network is significant. European organizations in sectors with stringent data protection regulations (e.g., finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure) could face compliance risks and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited. Additionally, the lack of workarounds means that remediation depends solely on timely patching, which may be challenging in complex operational environments.

1. Immediate upgrade: Organizations should prioritize upgrading Versa Director to the latest remediated versions provided by Versa Networks to eliminate the vulnerability. 2. Access control tightening: Restrict access to the Versa Director GUI strictly to trusted administrators and enforce multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of compromised credentials. 3. Monitoring and logging: Implement enhanced monitoring of file upload activities and audit logs within Versa Director to detect anomalous or unauthorized file uploads promptly. 4. Network segmentation: Isolate the management network segment hosting Versa Director from general user networks to limit exposure and reduce the risk of lateral movement by attackers. 5. Incident response readiness: Prepare and test incident response plans specifically for potential misuse of the file upload functionality, including forensic analysis of uploaded files and system integrity checks. 6. User training: Educate administrators on the risks associated with file uploads and the importance of verifying file types and sources, even within trusted environments. 7. Application whitelisting: Where possible, implement application whitelisting or endpoint protection on the servers hosting Versa Director to prevent execution of unauthorized files placed on disk.