CVE-2025-40774 identifies a security weakness in Siemens SiPass integrated, a widely used access control management system. The vulnerability arises because the application stores user passwords in an encrypted format within its database, but the encryption keys needed to decrypt these passwords are accessible to users holding administrative privileges. This design flaw corresponds to CWE-257, which concerns storing passwords in a recoverable format rather than using non-reversible hashing methods. An attacker or malicious insider with administrative rights can exploit this vulnerability to retrieve plaintext passwords of other users, enabling unauthorized access to user accounts and potentially escalating privileges or moving laterally within the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.4 (medium), reflecting that exploitation requires local access with high privileges (AV:L/PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality (C:H) without affecting integrity or availability. The vulnerability affects all versions of SiPass integrated prior to version 3.0. Although no public exploits are known, the risk lies primarily in insider threat scenarios or compromised administrative accounts. The vulnerability underscores poor cryptographic design choices, as best practices recommend storing passwords using salted cryptographic hashes rather than reversible encryption. Siemens has not yet published patches, so organizations must rely on compensating controls until updates are available.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential compromise of user credentials by individuals with administrative access. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive systems managed by SiPass integrated, including physical access controls and security management. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive user information and credentials, increasing the risk of further attacks such as privilege escalation, lateral movement, or data exfiltration. Since SiPass integrated is often deployed in critical infrastructure sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, and government facilities across Europe, exploitation could undermine physical and logical security controls. The vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability but could facilitate attacks that do. Organizations with weak administrative access controls or insufficient monitoring are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially from insider actors or advanced persistent threats targeting European critical infrastructure.

To mitigate CVE-2025-40774, European organizations should implement strict access controls to limit administrative privileges only to trusted personnel and enforce the principle of least privilege. Regularly audit and monitor administrative account activities to detect suspicious behavior indicative of password extraction attempts. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Segregate duties so that no single administrator has unfettered access to both the encrypted password storage and the decryption keys. Until Siemens releases a patched version (≥ V3.0), consider isolating SiPass integrated servers from broader network access and restrict physical and network access to these systems. Additionally, organizations should prepare to apply patches promptly once available and review their password management policies to ensure alignment with best practices, such as using non-reversible password hashing. Conduct security awareness training for administrators about the risks of credential exposure and insider threats. Finally, consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify anomalous activities related to credential access.