CVE-2025-42908 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in SAP NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP, impacting multiple versions including 7.53 through 9.16. The vulnerability arises because the session manager allows an authenticated attacker to initiate transactions directly, bypassing the first transaction screen and the associated authorization checks. This bypass means that an attacker with valid credentials can perform unauthorized actions or execute transactions that normally require specific permissions, effectively compromising the confidentiality and integrity of the system. The flaw does not affect availability, as it does not cause denial of service or system crashes. Exploitation requires the attacker to be authenticated, but no user interaction is needed beyond that. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, indicating a CSRF weakness where state-changing requests can be forged by attackers. Although no exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the vulnerability's presence in widely used SAP NetWeaver versions poses a significant risk to organizations relying on these systems for critical business operations. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4, reflecting medium severity due to the ease of network exploitation, low attack complexity, and the requirement for privileges but no user interaction. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust session and transaction management in enterprise applications to prevent unauthorized transaction execution. No patches were listed at the time of reporting, so organizations should monitor SAP advisories closely and apply updates promptly once available.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive business data and processes managed through SAP NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP. Unauthorized transaction execution could lead to data manipulation, unauthorized financial transactions, or exposure of confidential information. Given SAP's widespread use in critical sectors such as manufacturing, finance, utilities, and government across Europe, exploitation could disrupt business operations and damage trust. Although availability is not impacted, the breach of authorization controls undermines compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR, potentially leading to legal and financial penalties. The requirement for attacker authentication limits exposure to insider threats or compromised credentials but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with weak credential management or phishing vulnerabilities. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but organizations should act swiftly to prevent potential targeted attacks. The impact is particularly acute for organizations with complex SAP landscapes and high-value transactions, where unauthorized actions could have cascading operational and reputational consequences.

1. Monitor SAP Security Advisories closely and apply official patches or updates as soon as they become available for the affected SAP NetWeaver versions. 2. Implement strict session management controls, including session timeouts and re-authentication for sensitive transactions, to reduce the risk of session hijacking or misuse. 3. Deploy anti-CSRF tokens on all transaction forms and validate them server-side to ensure requests originate from legitimate user sessions. 4. Enforce the principle of least privilege by reviewing and tightening user permissions within SAP to minimize the potential impact of compromised accounts. 5. Conduct regular security awareness training focused on credential protection and phishing prevention to reduce the risk of attacker authentication. 6. Utilize SAP’s security audit logs and monitoring tools to detect unusual transaction patterns or unauthorized access attempts promptly. 7. Consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for SAP user logins to add an additional layer of defense against credential compromise. 8. Review and harden network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of SAP systems to only trusted internal networks and users. 9. Test and validate all mitigations in a controlled environment before deployment to ensure they do not disrupt legitimate business processes.