CVE-2025-50674 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in OpenMediaVault version 7.4.17, specifically within the changePassword method located in the /usr/share/php/openmediavault/system/user.inc file. OpenMediaVault is a widely used open-source network-attached storage (NAS) solution that provides file sharing and storage management capabilities. The vulnerability allows a local authenticated attacker—meaning someone with valid user credentials but limited privileges—to escalate their privileges to root, the highest level of system access. This escalation occurs due to improper validation or authorization checks in the changePassword function, which is responsible for handling user password changes. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), indicating that the root cause involves insufficient validation of inputs and flawed privilege control mechanisms. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high severity, with attack vector being local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. However, the presence of such a vulnerability in a critical system component like OpenMediaVault's user management module poses a significant risk, especially in environments where multiple users have authenticated access but are not supposed to have administrative privileges.

For European organizations using OpenMediaVault 7.4.17, this vulnerability presents a serious risk. Since OpenMediaVault is often deployed in small to medium enterprises, home labs, and even some enterprise environments for NAS and storage management, an attacker with local authenticated access could leverage this flaw to gain root privileges. This could lead to full system compromise, unauthorized data access, data tampering, or disruption of storage services. The impact is particularly critical for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data, such as financial institutions, healthcare providers, or government agencies within Europe, where data protection regulations like GDPR impose strict requirements on data confidentiality and integrity. Additionally, compromised NAS devices could be used as pivot points for lateral movement within internal networks, increasing the risk of broader organizational compromise. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests the vulnerability might not yet be actively targeted, but the ease of exploitation (local authenticated user with low complexity) means that insider threats or attackers who have gained initial access could quickly escalate privileges.

European organizations should prioritize the following mitigation steps: 1) Immediate auditing of OpenMediaVault installations to identify affected versions, specifically version 7.4.17. 2) Restrict local authenticated access strictly to trusted users and minimize the number of users with any form of shell or system access. 3) Monitor and log all password change attempts and user privilege modifications to detect suspicious activities. 4) Implement network segmentation to isolate NAS devices from general user networks, reducing the risk of unauthorized local access. 5) Apply principle of least privilege rigorously, ensuring users have only the minimum necessary permissions. 6) Since no official patch is currently linked, organizations should monitor OpenMediaVault security advisories closely and apply patches immediately upon release. 7) Consider temporary compensating controls such as disabling password change functionality for non-administrative users if feasible. 8) Conduct internal penetration testing focusing on privilege escalation vectors to identify and remediate similar issues proactively.