CVE-2025-49812VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jul 2025Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-49812: Apache HTTP Server · Improper Authentication

Affects Apache HTTP ServerSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.4 High · fixed in 2.4.64 : patch Apache HTTP Server soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.4High

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

EPSS: 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 49% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 2.4.64

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

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

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: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jul 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 2026-10-26.

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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apache Software Foundation Apache HTTP Server	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

The primary mitigation is to upgrade Apache HTTP Server to version 2.4.64 or later, which removes support for TLS upgrades and eliminates the vulnerable code path. Organizations should audit their Apache configurations to identify and disable any use of 'SSLEngine optional' that enables TLS upgrades. Where upgrading immediately is not feasible, disabling TLS upgrades and enforcing strict HTTPS connections without fallback to HTTP is recommended. Network-level mitigations include deploying TLS interception detection, enforcing HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and monitoring for unusual session behaviors indicative of desynchronization attacks. Additionally, organizations should ensure that their network infrastructure prevents man-in-the-middle positioning by using secure network segments, VPNs, and encrypted internal communications. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should include checks for HTTP desynchronization vulnerabilities. Finally, educating system administrators about the risks of optional TLS upgrades and proper SSL/TLS configuration best practices will help prevent similar issues.

Description

In some mod_ssl configurations on Apache HTTP Server versions through to 2.4.63, an HTTP desynchronisation attack allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to hijack an HTTP session via a TLS upgrade. Only configurations using "SSLEngine optional" to enable TLS upgrades are affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.4.64, which removes support for TLS upgrade.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to the confidentiality and integrity of web sessions served by Apache HTTP Server instances configured with 'SSLEngine optional'. Successful exploitation allows attackers to hijack user sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information, data leakage, and impersonation attacks. This is particularly critical for sectors handling personal data under GDPR, financial services, healthcare, and government services where session integrity is paramount. The vulnerability does not affect availability, but the loss of confidentiality and integrity can result in regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruption. Since Apache HTTP Server is widely deployed across Europe in both public and private sectors, especially in countries with large internet infrastructure like Germany, France, the UK, and the Netherlands, the threat surface is significant. The requirement for a man-in-the-middle position means that attackers need network access, which could be achieved via compromised networks or malicious insiders. The high attack complexity somewhat limits mass exploitation but targeted attacks against high-value targets remain a concern.

CWE-287Improper Authentication (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fake the Source of Data (opens in a new tab)
Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
Session Hijacking (opens in a new tab)
Token Impersonation (opens in a new tab)
Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server (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

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Nov 2025, 06:28 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-287

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats