CVE-2025-6978 is an OS command injection vulnerability classified under CWE-78, affecting Arista Networks' Edge Threat Management and Next Generation Firewall products. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special characters in diagnostic commands, which are used internally for troubleshooting and system management. An attacker with high privileges and network access can exploit this flaw to inject arbitrary operating system commands, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require prior authentication with elevated privileges, indicating that attackers must first gain access to a privileged account or exploit another vulnerability to escalate privileges. The impact includes full confidentiality loss, integrity compromise, and availability disruption of the firewall device, which is critical as these devices control network traffic and security policies. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.2 reflects a high severity due to network attack vector, low attack complexity, and high impact on all security properties. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability is published and should be considered exploitable. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation through compensating controls. Given the role of Arista firewalls in enterprise and service provider networks, exploitation could enable attackers to bypass security controls, intercept or modify traffic, and disrupt network operations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the critical role of firewalls in protecting sensitive data and ensuring network availability. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to internal networks, data exfiltration, manipulation of traffic flows, and denial of service conditions. Industries such as finance, telecommunications, energy, and government, which rely heavily on robust network security, could face operational disruptions and regulatory compliance violations. The confidentiality breach could expose personal and corporate data, while integrity and availability impacts could undermine trust in network security infrastructure. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but also means insider threats or chained attacks could leverage this vulnerability effectively. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the critical nature of the affected devices demands immediate attention.

1. Implement strict access controls to limit administrative and diagnostic command access to trusted personnel only. 2. Monitor and audit usage of diagnostic commands for unusual or unauthorized activity. 3. Employ network segmentation to isolate management interfaces of Arista firewalls from general network access. 4. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts to reduce risk of credential compromise. 5. Apply principle of least privilege to restrict user permissions and reduce potential attack vectors. 6. Stay informed on Arista's security advisories and apply patches immediately once released. 7. Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect anomalous command injection attempts. 8. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on firewall management interfaces. 9. Develop incident response plans specific to firewall compromise scenarios to minimize impact if exploited.