CVE-2025-4754 is a security vulnerability classified under CWE-613 (Insufficient Session Expiration) affecting the ash-project's authentication library, ash_authentication_phoenix, specifically in versions up to 2.10.0. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of session expiration within the authentication mechanism implemented in the file lib/ash_authentication_phoenix/controller.ex. Due to insufficient session expiration controls, an attacker could potentially hijack active user sessions. This means that after a user logs out or after a session timeout period, the session tokens or identifiers remain valid longer than intended, allowing unauthorized reuse. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely (Attack Vector: Network) without requiring privileges but does require user interaction, such as tricking a user into clicking a malicious link or performing an action that exposes the session token. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 2.3, indicating a low severity primarily because the impact on confidentiality and integrity is limited, and the attack requires user interaction. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, suggesting that remediation may still be pending or in development. The vulnerability affects the core authentication flow, which is critical for maintaining secure user sessions in applications relying on ash_authentication_phoenix for user management and session control.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the extent to which ash_authentication_phoenix is used within their software stacks, particularly in web applications requiring user authentication. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality. This could compromise confidentiality and integrity of user accounts and associated data. However, given the low CVSS score and the requirement for user interaction, the risk of widespread automated exploitation is limited. Still, targeted attacks against high-value users or administrators could lead to privilege escalation or data breaches. Organizations in sectors with stringent data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, could face regulatory and reputational consequences if session hijacking leads to data exposure. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack chain, increasing its potential impact. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits once patches are released or if the vulnerability becomes publicly known.

1. Immediate mitigation involves enforcing strict session expiration policies at the application level, ensuring that session tokens are invalidated promptly upon logout or after a short inactivity timeout. 2. Implement additional server-side session validation mechanisms, such as rotating session identifiers frequently and binding sessions to client attributes (e.g., IP address, user-agent) to reduce the risk of token reuse. 3. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the impact of session hijacking by requiring additional verification beyond session tokens. 4. Monitor application logs for unusual session activity, such as concurrent sessions from different locations or rapid session reuse, to detect potential hijacking attempts. 5. Update to the latest version of ash_authentication_phoenix once a patch addressing this vulnerability is released. 6. Educate users about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate user interaction required for exploitation. 7. For applications using this library, conduct thorough security testing focusing on session management and token invalidation to identify and remediate similar weaknesses.