CVE-2025-61304 is an OS command injection vulnerability identified in the Dynatrace ActiveGate ping extension, affecting versions up to 1.016. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization of user-supplied IP address input, which is used directly in OS command execution contexts. An attacker can craft a malicious IP address parameter that injects arbitrary shell commands, leading to remote code execution on the host running the ActiveGate component. The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, and can be exploited remotely over the network, making it highly accessible to attackers. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with attack vector network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated high (C:H/I:H/A:H). Dynatrace ActiveGate is a key component in Dynatrace's monitoring architecture, often deployed within enterprise environments to facilitate communication between monitored entities and the Dynatrace platform. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the ActiveGate service, potentially leading to full system compromise, lateral movement, data exfiltration, or disruption of monitoring capabilities. No patches or official mitigations have been published at the time of disclosure, and no exploits have been observed in the wild yet. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command).

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-61304 is significant due to the widespread use of Dynatrace ActiveGate in enterprise IT monitoring and observability solutions. Exploitation could lead to complete compromise of monitoring infrastructure, undermining visibility into critical systems and potentially allowing attackers to hide malicious activity. This could disrupt operations, cause data breaches, and impair incident response capabilities. Given the criticality of monitoring systems in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and energy, the vulnerability poses a substantial risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data and services. Additionally, compromised ActiveGate instances could serve as pivot points for further attacks within corporate networks. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation if the vulnerability is not promptly addressed. European organizations with complex, distributed IT environments and reliance on Dynatrace for real-time monitoring are particularly vulnerable to operational and reputational damage.

1. Immediately inventory all Dynatrace ActiveGate instances and identify versions up to 1.016 using the vulnerable ping extension. 2. Isolate vulnerable ActiveGate instances from untrusted networks to limit exposure until patches or official mitigations are available. 3. Monitor network traffic for anomalous or suspicious requests targeting the ping extension, especially those containing unusual IP address formats or command injection patterns. 4. Apply strict input validation and filtering at network boundaries or via web application firewalls to block malformed IP address inputs targeting the ping extension. 5. Engage with Dynatrace support and subscribe to official advisories for timely patch releases or workarounds. 6. Consider temporarily disabling or restricting the ping extension functionality if feasible without disrupting critical monitoring operations. 7. Implement robust logging and alerting on ActiveGate components to detect potential exploitation attempts. 8. Conduct internal penetration testing and vulnerability scanning focused on ActiveGate deployments to verify remediation effectiveness. 9. Educate IT and security teams about the vulnerability specifics and the importance of securing monitoring infrastructure. 10. Review and strengthen overall network segmentation to prevent lateral movement from compromised monitoring systems.