CVE-2025-48962 is a security vulnerability classified under CWE-918 (Server-Side Request Forgery, SSRF) affecting Acronis Cyber Protect 16 on both Windows and Linux platforms prior to build 39938. SSRF vulnerabilities occur when an attacker can manipulate a server to make unauthorized requests to internal or external resources, potentially bypassing network access controls. In this case, the vulnerability leads to sensitive information disclosure, meaning an attacker could exploit the SSRF flaw to retrieve confidential data from internal services or systems that the Acronis Cyber Protect server can access. The CVSS v3.0 score of 4.3 (medium severity) reflects that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but does require privileges (PR:L) on the system, and does not require user interaction (UI:N). The impact is limited to confidentiality (C:L), with no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigations have been linked yet. The vulnerability affects all unspecified versions of Acronis Cyber Protect 16 before build 39938, indicating that users running older builds are at risk. Given the nature of SSRF, attackers with some level of access could leverage this flaw to pivot within internal networks, potentially accessing sensitive internal endpoints or metadata services, leading to information leakage that could facilitate further attacks.

For European organizations, the impact of this SSRF vulnerability in Acronis Cyber Protect 16 could be significant, especially for enterprises relying on this product for backup, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity management. Sensitive information disclosure could include internal configuration data, credentials, or other confidential information that attackers could use to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network. This risk is heightened in sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions. The exposure of sensitive data could lead to compliance violations under GDPR, resulting in legal and financial penalties. Additionally, the ability to access internal resources via SSRF could undermine trust in the organization's security posture and potentially facilitate more severe attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities. Since the vulnerability requires some level of privilege on the system, insider threats or attackers who have already compromised lower-privileged accounts could exploit this to deepen their access.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading Acronis Cyber Protect 16 to build 39938 or later as soon as a patch is available. Until then, it is critical to restrict access to the management interfaces of Acronis Cyber Protect to trusted administrators only, ideally through network segmentation and firewall rules that limit exposure to internal IP ranges. Implement strict access controls and monitor for unusual internal requests originating from the Acronis server that could indicate SSRF exploitation attempts. Employ network-level protections such as egress filtering to prevent unauthorized outbound requests from the server to sensitive internal services. Conduct thorough audits of user privileges on the Acronis system to ensure that only necessary accounts have access, minimizing the risk of privilege misuse. Additionally, organizations should review logs for anomalous activity and consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying SSRF patterns. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly address any potential exploitation.