VulnerabilityPublished 23 Oct 2025

CVE-2025-60852: foundation · CSV Injection

Affects foundationSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium : upgrade to 25.0.9600 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 25.0.9600

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
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: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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 23 Oct 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 26 Oct 2026.

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

Upgrade instantdeveloper/foundation to 25.0.9600.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubinstantdeveloper/foundation`pkg:github/instantdeveloper/foundation`Other threats	Affected <25.0.9600	Fixed in 25.0.9600

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-60852, organizations should first identify all applications built with Instant Developer Foundation versions prior to 25.0.9600 that generate CSV exports. Developers should implement input sanitization or escaping mechanisms to neutralize any characters that spreadsheet software interprets as formulas, such as prefixing potentially dangerous fields with a single quote (') or using CSV export libraries that automatically escape formula characters. If you cannot patch yet, organizations should educate users about the risks of opening CSV files from untrusted sources and implement email filtering to detect and block suspicious attachments. Endpoint protection solutions should be configured to monitor and block suspicious macro or formula execution in spreadsheet applications. Organizations should also consider deploying Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools to monitor CSV file generation and sharing. Once a patched version of Instant Developer Foundation is available, timely upgrading is critical. Additionally, organizations can implement application whitelisting and restrict execution privileges on user machines to limit the impact of potential code execution. Regular security awareness training focusing on phishing and social engineering can reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation.

Description

A CSV Injection vulnerability existed in Instant Developer Foundation versions prior to 25.0.9600. Applications built with affected versions of the framework did not properly sanitize user-controlled input before including it in CSV exports. This issue could lead to code execution on the system where the exported CSV file is opened.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-60852 can be substantial. Organizations that use Instant Developer Foundation to build applications that export CSV files risk having their users execute malicious code unknowingly. This can lead to compromise of user endpoints, data breaches, and lateral movement within corporate networks. Sensitive data handled in CSV exports, such as financial records, personal data, or intellectual property, could be exposed or manipulated. The attack vector relies on social engineering to convince users to open malicious CSV files, which is a common tactic in targeted phishing campaigns prevalent in Europe. The resulting code execution could allow attackers to install malware, exfiltrate data, or disrupt operations. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for sectors with high regulatory requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data integrity and confidentiality are paramount. Additionally, organizations with remote or hybrid workforces may face increased risk as CSV files are often shared via email or cloud storage. Without proper mitigation, this vulnerability could facilitate advanced persistent threats (APTs) targeting European enterprises.

CWE-1236Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
The product saves user-provided information into a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product.
Implementation
When generating CSV output, ensure that formula-sensitive metacharacters are effectively escaped or removed from all data before storage in the resultant CSV. Risky characters include '=' (equal), '+' (plus), '-' (minus), and '@' (at).
Implementation
If a field starts with a formula character, prepend it with a ' (single apostrophe), which prevents Excel from executing the formula.
Architecture and Design
Certain implementations of spreadsheet software might disallow formulas from executing if the file is untrusted, or if the file is not authored by the current user.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.5.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Oct 2025, 14:14 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-1236

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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