CVE-2025-2746 is an authentication bypass vulnerability classified under CWE-288, affecting Kentico Xperience through version 13.0.172. The vulnerability stems from the Staging Sync Server's digest authentication mechanism, which improperly handles empty SHA1 usernames. Digest authentication typically requires a username and password hash; however, the flawed implementation allows an attacker to submit an empty username hash, bypassing the authentication process entirely. This bypass grants unauthorized access to administrative functions, enabling attackers to manipulate or control administrative objects within the Kentico Xperience environment. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without any authentication or user interaction, increasing its risk profile. The CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 reflects the vulnerability's critical nature, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The impact includes full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. No patches were listed at the time of disclosure, so organizations must rely on compensating controls until official fixes are released. The vulnerability affects organizations using Kentico Xperience for content management, particularly those exposing the Staging Sync Server to untrusted networks.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-2746 is substantial. Kentico Xperience is widely used across Europe for managing digital content and customer experiences, often integrated into critical business operations and public-facing websites. Successful exploitation allows attackers to gain administrative control, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized content modification, service disruption, and lateral movement within corporate networks. This can result in loss of sensitive customer data, defacement of websites, disruption of business continuity, and reputational damage. Given the vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, attackers can exploit it remotely, increasing the likelihood of automated attacks or targeted intrusions. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and e-commerce, which rely heavily on Kentico Xperience, face elevated risks. Additionally, the ability to manipulate administrative objects may facilitate further attacks, including deploying malware or ransomware, amplifying the overall threat to European digital infrastructure.

Immediate mitigation steps include restricting network access to the Staging Sync Server component of Kentico Xperience, ideally isolating it within internal networks or behind strict firewalls and VPNs to prevent unauthorized external access. Organizations should monitor logs and administrative activities for unusual access patterns or unauthorized changes. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or limiting the use of the Staging Sync Server if feasible. Implement network-level intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect and block attempts to exploit this authentication bypass. Regularly audit user accounts and permissions to ensure no unauthorized administrative accounts exist. Once patches become available from Kentico, prioritize their deployment across all affected systems. Additionally, conduct security awareness training for IT staff to recognize and respond to potential exploitation attempts. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible for administrative access to add an additional security layer, although this may not fully mitigate the bypass if the vulnerability is at the authentication protocol level.