CVE-2025-52661 identifies a security vulnerability in HCL Software AION version 2 related to JWT (JSON Web Token) session management. Specifically, the JWT tokens issued by the application have an excessively long expiration time, which constitutes insufficient session expiration as categorized by CWE-613. JWT tokens are commonly used for stateless authentication, and their expiration time is critical to limiting the window of opportunity for attackers to reuse stolen tokens. In this case, the long token lifetime increases the risk that if a token is compromised—through interception, theft, or other means—it could be used by an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the system for an extended period. The CVSS v3.1 score of 2.4 reflects a low severity rating, primarily because exploitation requires the attacker to have high privileges and user interaction, reducing the likelihood of remote or automated exploitation. Additionally, there is no evidence of active exploitation in the wild at this time. Despite the low score, the vulnerability highlights a fundamental security weakness in session management that could be leveraged in targeted attacks, especially in environments where tokens are not properly invalidated or rotated. The lack of available patches or mitigations from the vendor at the time of publication means organizations must proactively adjust their session policies or implement compensating controls.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability lies in the potential for unauthorized access if JWT tokens are compromised and reused due to their long validity period. This can lead to unauthorized actions within the HCL AION environment, potentially affecting data integrity and confidentiality. While availability is not directly impacted, prolonged unauthorized access could facilitate further attacks or data exfiltration. Organizations in sectors with high security requirements, such as finance, government, and critical infrastructure, may face increased risks if attackers exploit this weakness. The low CVSS score and requirement for high privileges and user interaction reduce the immediate threat level, but the vulnerability could be exploited as part of a multi-stage attack or insider threat scenario. European entities relying on HCL AION for business-critical workflows should be aware that insufficient session expiration can undermine trust in authentication mechanisms and complicate incident response efforts.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations using HCL AION version 2 should: 1) Review and reduce the JWT token expiration time to the minimum practical duration, balancing security and usability. 2) Implement token revocation mechanisms or session invalidation upon logout or detected anomalies. 3) Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of token misuse even if tokens are compromised. 4) Monitor and log authentication events to detect unusual token usage patterns. 5) Apply strict access controls to limit high-privilege user accounts that could exploit this vulnerability. 6) Stay updated with HCL Software advisories for patches or configuration updates addressing this issue. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on session management. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on token lifecycle management and privileged access restrictions specific to the nature of this vulnerability.