CVE-2025-26661 is a vulnerability identified in SAP NetWeaver's ABAP Class Builder component, classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization). The root cause is the absence of proper authorization checks when accessing certain functionalities within the ABAP Class Builder, which allows an attacker with limited privileges to escalate their access rights beyond intended boundaries. This escalation can lead to unauthorized disclosure of highly sensitive data, as well as compromise the integrity and availability of the SAP application environment. The vulnerability affects a broad range of SAP_BASIS versions from 700 through 914, indicating a long-standing issue across multiple releases. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) highlights that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low complexity and requires only limited privileges, without any user interaction. The scope is unchanged, meaning the impact is confined to the vulnerable component but with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability's nature suggests that attackers could leverage it to gain unauthorized elevated access, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized modifications, or denial of service within SAP environments. Given SAP NetWeaver's critical role in enterprise resource planning and business operations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on these systems.

The potential impact of CVE-2025-26661 is substantial for organizations worldwide using affected SAP NetWeaver versions. Successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation, enabling attackers to access sensitive business data, intellectual property, and personally identifiable information (PII). This can result in data breaches, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage. Furthermore, attackers could alter or disrupt critical business processes, affecting data integrity and system availability, potentially causing operational downtime and financial losses. Given SAP's widespread use in industries such as manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and government, the vulnerability could be leveraged for espionage, sabotage, or fraud. The ease of exploitation over the network with low privileges increases the likelihood of targeted attacks, especially in environments with weak internal access controls. Organizations lacking timely mitigation may face increased risks of insider threats or lateral movement by attackers who have gained initial footholds.

To mitigate CVE-2025-26661, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Monitor SAP security advisories closely and apply official patches or security notes from SAP as soon as they become available for the affected SAP_BASIS versions. 2) Enforce strict role-based access controls (RBAC) within SAP environments, ensuring that users have only the minimum necessary privileges, particularly restricting access to ABAP Class Builder functionalities. 3) Conduct regular audits of user permissions and SAP system logs to detect unusual or unauthorized access attempts related to ABAP development tools. 4) Segment SAP systems from general network access using firewalls and network segmentation to limit exposure to potential attackers. 5) Employ SAP-specific security tools and monitoring solutions that can detect privilege escalation attempts and anomalous behavior within SAP modules. 6) Train SAP administrators and developers on secure configuration practices and awareness of this vulnerability to prevent inadvertent exposure. 7) Consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for SAP access to reduce risk from compromised credentials. 8) Establish incident response plans tailored to SAP environments to quickly respond to any exploitation attempts. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on SAP-specific controls and proactive monitoring.