CVE-2025-41704VulnerabilityPublished 14 Oct 2025Updated 3 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-41704: Phoenix Contact QUINT4-UPS/24DC/24DC/5/EIP · Unthrottled Resource Allocation

Affects Phoenix Contact QUINT4-UPS/24DC/24DC/5/EIPSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 75% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Oct 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Network Segmentation: Isolate Phoenix Contact QUINT4-UPS devices and their Modbus communication channels within dedicated, secure network segments inaccessible from general enterprise or internet-facing networks. 2. Access Controls: Implement strict firewall rules and access control lists (ACLs) to restrict Modbus traffic only to authorized management and monitoring systems. 3. Monitoring and Anomaly Detection: Deploy network monitoring tools capable of inspecting Modbus traffic to detect unusual function or sub-function codes and rate-limit excessive requests indicative of an attack. 4. Device Hardening: Disable unused services and interfaces on the UPS devices to reduce exposure. 5. Vendor Coordination: Engage with Phoenix Contact for updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 6. Incident Response Preparedness: Develop and test response plans for Modbus service disruptions to minimize operational impact. 7. Physical Security: Ensure physical access to devices is controlled to prevent local exploitation or configuration changes. 8. Network Access Authentication: Where possible, implement VPNs or secure tunnels for remote management to add authentication layers, mitigating unauthenticated access risks.

Description

An unauthanticated remote attacker can perform a DoS of the Modbus service by sending a specific function and sub-function code without affecting the core functionality.

Impact

For European organizations, particularly those in industrial automation, manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors, this vulnerability poses a risk of operational disruption. The Modbus protocol is widely used for communication between control devices and supervisory systems; thus, a DoS on the Modbus service can hinder real-time monitoring and control processes. Although the core UPS functionality remains intact, loss of Modbus communication may delay fault detection, status reporting, and automated responses, potentially leading to safety risks or production downtime. Organizations relying on Phoenix Contact QUINT4-UPS devices for power management in industrial control systems could experience degraded system reliability and increased maintenance overhead. The medium severity suggests that while the threat is not catastrophic, it could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain or during periods of heightened operational sensitivity. The absence of authentication requirements increases the attack surface, especially if devices are accessible from less secure network segments or exposed to the internet. This vulnerability could also be exploited in targeted attacks against critical infrastructure, amplifying its impact in the European context where industrial automation is prevalent.

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #25
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Requirements
Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
Architecture and Design
Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
Architecture and Design
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V11.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
XML Ping of the Death (opens in a new tab)
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data Parameter Blowup (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (opens in a new tab)
Oversized Serialized Data Payloads (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Nov 2025, 18:09 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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