CVE-2025-37110 is a vulnerability identified in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Telco Network Function Virtual Orchestrator (NFVO) version 7.0.0. The issue is categorized under CWE-922, which pertains to the insecure storage of sensitive information. Specifically, the vulnerability arises from the storage policy applied to certain sets of sensitive credential information within the NFVO. This insecure storage could allow unauthorized parties with some level of access to the system to retrieve sensitive system credentials or information that should otherwise be protected. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.0, indicating a medium severity level. The vector details are AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, meaning the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), and the scope is changed (S:C). The impact is high on confidentiality (C:H), but no impact on integrity (I:N) or availability (A:N). No known exploits are reported in the wild as of the publication date. The vulnerability's core risk is that privileged users or processes with local access could extract sensitive credentials due to improper storage mechanisms, potentially leading to further unauthorized access or lateral movement within the network. Since the affected product is a network function orchestrator used in telecommunications environments, the exposure of credentials could compromise orchestration and management of virtualized network functions, impacting network security and operations.

For European organizations, especially telecommunications providers and service operators using HPE Telco NFVO version 7.0.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive credentials. Unauthorized access to these credentials could allow attackers or malicious insiders to manipulate network function orchestration, potentially leading to unauthorized configuration changes, interception of network traffic, or disruption of virtual network services. Given the critical role of NFVOs in managing virtualized network functions, exploitation could undermine the security posture of telecom infrastructure, affecting service availability indirectly through misconfigurations or enabling further attacks. The confidentiality breach could also lead to regulatory compliance issues under GDPR, as sensitive operational data and credentials are involved. Although exploitation requires high privileges and local access, the changed scope and high confidentiality impact mean that once exploited, the attacker could escalate their control within the network environment. This is particularly concerning for European telecom operators who are key infrastructure providers and subject to stringent cybersecurity regulations.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Upgrade or patch the HPE Telco NFVO to a version where this vulnerability is addressed once HPE releases a fix. Since no patch links are currently available, maintain close contact with HPE support for updates. 2) Restrict and monitor local access to NFVO systems strictly, ensuring that only trusted, authorized personnel have high privilege access. Implement robust access controls and use multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. 3) Conduct regular audits of stored credential information and system configurations to detect any anomalies or unauthorized access attempts. 4) Employ encryption for sensitive credential storage if supported by the product or through additional security layers, such as disk encryption or vault solutions, to reduce the risk of credential exposure. 5) Implement network segmentation to isolate NFVO systems from less trusted network zones, limiting the attack surface. 6) Enhance logging and monitoring to detect suspicious activities related to credential access or privilege escalation. 7) Train administrators on secure handling of credentials and the importance of minimizing local privileged access. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on compensating controls until a vendor patch is available and emphasizing operational security around privileged access and credential management.