CVE-2025-41699 is a critical vulnerability identified in the Phoenix Contact CHARX SEC-3150, an industrial device commonly used for secure communication and control in automation environments. The flaw is a code injection vulnerability (CWE-94) that allows a remote attacker with low privileges—specifically, an account for the device's web-based management interface—to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary commands as the root user. This occurs due to improper validation and control over code generation inputs within the system configuration functionality. The attacker can manipulate configuration parameters to inject malicious code, which the system executes with root privileges, resulting in a total compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, reflecting its high severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and no requirement for user interaction. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the potential impact on industrial control systems and critical infrastructure is significant. The CHARX SEC-3150 is widely deployed in European industrial and critical infrastructure sectors, making this vulnerability a serious concern for organizations relying on these devices for secure operations.

The exploitation of CVE-2025-41699 can lead to complete system takeover of the CHARX SEC-3150 device, resulting in total loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For European organizations, especially those in industrial automation, energy, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure sectors, this could mean unauthorized access to sensitive operational data, manipulation or disruption of industrial processes, and potential cascading failures in interconnected systems. The root-level command execution capability enables attackers to install persistent malware, disrupt device functionality, or pivot to other network segments, increasing the risk of widespread operational disruption and data breaches. Given the device's role in secure communication and control, exploitation could undermine trust in industrial control systems and cause significant economic and safety impacts.

1. Immediately restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted personnel and networks using network segmentation and firewall rules. 2. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms and regularly audit accounts with management access to ensure only authorized users have low-privilege accounts. 3. Monitor device logs and network traffic for unusual configuration changes or command execution patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Apply vendor patches or firmware updates as soon as they become available; if no patch is currently released, contact Phoenix Contact for guidance or temporary mitigations. 5. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for management access where supported. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on industrial control systems to detect similar vulnerabilities. 7. Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tailored for industrial protocols to detect anomalous activities targeting these devices.