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CVE-2025-49828: CWE-1336: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine in cyberark conjur

High
VulnerabilityCVE-2025-49828cvecve-2025-49828cwe-1336
Published: Tue Jul 15 2025 (07/15/2025, 19:35:33 UTC)
Source: CVE Database V5
Vendor/Project: cyberark
Product: conjur

Description

Conjur provides secrets management and application identity for infrastructure. Conjur OSS versions 1.19.5 through 1.21.1 and Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted (formerly known as Conjur Enterprise) 13.1 through 13.4.1 are vulnerable to remote code execution An authenticated attacker who can inject secrets or templates into the Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted database could take advantage of an exposed API endpoint to execute arbitrary Ruby code within the Secrets Manager process. This issue affects both Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted (formerly Conjur Enterprise) and Conjur OSS. Conjur OSS version 1.21.2 and Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted version 13.5 fix the issue.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/22/2025, 20:55:18 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2025-49828 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting CyberArk's Conjur secrets management products, specifically Conjur OSS versions 1.19.5 through 1.21.1 and Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted (formerly Conjur Enterprise) versions 13.1 through 13.4.1. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements used in the template engine (CWE-1336), which allows an authenticated attacker with privileges to inject secrets or templates into the Secrets Manager database to exploit an exposed API endpoint. By doing so, the attacker can execute arbitrary Ruby code within the Secrets Manager process. This remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require authenticated access with elevated privileges (PR:H). The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the secrets management system, as arbitrary code execution can lead to full compromise of stored secrets and potentially the infrastructure relying on them. The vulnerability is fixed in Conjur OSS version 1.21.2 and Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted version 13.5. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the high CVSS 8.6 score indicates a significant risk if exploited. The vulnerability is network exploitable (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), and no user interaction (UI:N) required. The scope is unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (H).

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a critical risk to the security of secrets management infrastructure, which is foundational for protecting credentials, API keys, and other sensitive data used in cloud and on-premises environments. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of secrets, manipulation of authentication tokens, and execution of arbitrary code within the secrets management system, potentially cascading to broader infrastructure compromise. This is particularly impactful for sectors with stringent data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure operators under the NIS2 Directive and GDPR mandates. The ability to remotely execute code without user interaction and with high privileges increases the likelihood of targeted attacks against organizations using vulnerable Conjur versions. Additionally, the breach of secrets management can undermine trust in automated deployment pipelines and cloud-native security postures, leading to operational disruptions and regulatory penalties.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations using CyberArk Conjur OSS or Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted should urgently upgrade to Conjur OSS version 1.21.2 or later, or Secrets Manager version 13.5 or later, to remediate this vulnerability. Until patches are applied, organizations should restrict access to the Secrets Manager API endpoints to trusted networks and enforce strict authentication and authorization controls to limit who can inject secrets or templates. Implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous API usage patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Employ runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify suspicious Ruby code execution within the Secrets Manager process. Conduct thorough audits of secrets injection activities and review logs for unauthorized changes. Additionally, consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least privilege principles for all users with access to secrets management systems to reduce the risk of credential misuse. Finally, maintain an incident response plan tailored to secrets management compromise scenarios.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
GitHub_M
Date Reserved
2025-06-11T14:33:57.799Z
Cvss Version
4.0
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 6876b008a83201eaacd043c7

Added to database: 7/15/2025, 7:46:16 PM

Last enriched: 7/22/2025, 8:55:18 PM

Last updated: 8/11/2025, 7:13:06 AM

Views: 22

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