CVE-2025-60228 is a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability affecting designthemes Knowledge Base software versions up to 2.9. The vulnerability arises when the application processes serialized objects from untrusted sources without proper validation or sanitization, enabling object injection attacks. This can lead to remote code execution (RCE), allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server hosting the Knowledge Base. The vulnerability requires low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and is exploitable over the network (AV:N), making it highly dangerous. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as successful exploitation can lead to full system compromise, data leakage, or service disruption. Although no public exploits are reported yet, the nature of deserialization vulnerabilities and their common exploitation in web applications suggest a significant risk. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate risk mitigation through configuration changes and monitoring. The vulnerability affects organizations relying on the designthemes Knowledge Base for documentation or knowledge management, potentially exposing sensitive internal data and critical infrastructure.

For European organizations, exploitation of CVE-2025-60228 could result in severe consequences including unauthorized access to sensitive information, data manipulation, and disruption of knowledge management services. This can undermine operational continuity, lead to intellectual property theft, and damage organizational reputation. Sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure that rely on knowledge base software for internal documentation and workflows are particularly vulnerable. The ability to execute code remotely without user interaction increases the risk of automated attacks and worm-like propagation within networks. Additionally, compromised systems could be leveraged as footholds for lateral movement or launching further attacks within European enterprise environments. The impact extends to regulatory compliance risks under GDPR due to potential data breaches involving personal or sensitive data.

Organizations should immediately inventory their use of designthemes Knowledge Base software and identify affected versions (<= 2.9). Until official patches are released, mitigate risk by disabling or restricting deserialization features where possible, applying strict input validation and sanitization on all serialized data inputs, and employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious serialized payloads. Implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) to monitor and prevent unauthorized code execution. Limit network exposure of the Knowledge Base application by enforcing network segmentation and access controls, allowing only trusted users and systems to connect. Monitor logs and network traffic for anomalous activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Prepare to deploy vendor patches promptly once available and conduct thorough testing before production deployment. Educate development and security teams about secure deserialization practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom code.