CVE-2025-7146 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Jhenggao iPublish System, categorized under CWE-23: Relative Path Traversal. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit the system's improper handling of file paths to perform arbitrary file reading on the affected server. Specifically, the flaw arises because the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input that is used to construct file paths, enabling attackers to traverse directories and access sensitive files outside the intended directory scope. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, making it remotely exploitable over the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, as attackers can read arbitrary system files, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, credentials, or other critical data. However, the vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability directly. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published yet. The affected product version is listed as "0," which likely indicates an initial or early release version of the iPublish System. The vulnerability was reserved and published in early July 2025 by the Taiwan Computer Emergency Response Team (twcert).

For European organizations using the Jhenggao iPublish System, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality. Attackers exploiting this flaw could access sensitive internal files, including configuration files, database credentials, or proprietary content, potentially leading to data breaches or further system compromise. Given that the vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction, it can be exploited remotely, increasing the attack surface. Organizations in sectors such as publishing, media, or any industry relying on the iPublish System for content management could face exposure of intellectual property or customer data. Additionally, the disclosure of sensitive system files could facilitate subsequent attacks, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. The absence of a patch at the time of disclosure means organizations must rely on mitigation strategies to reduce risk. The impact is particularly critical for organizations bound by strict data protection regulations like GDPR, as unauthorized data disclosure could lead to regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

Since no official patch is currently available, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restricting network access to the iPublish System to trusted internal networks or VPNs to reduce exposure to unauthenticated remote attackers. 2) Implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block path traversal attack patterns, such as sequences containing '../' or encoded variants. 3) Conducting thorough input validation and sanitization on any user-supplied file path parameters within the application, if source code access and modification are possible. 4) Monitoring system and application logs for unusual file access patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 5) Employing intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tuned to detect path traversal exploits. 6) Planning for rapid deployment of vendor patches once released and maintaining close communication with Jhenggao for updates. 7) Conducting security awareness training for administrators to recognize signs of exploitation and respond promptly. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on network segmentation, proactive detection, and input validation specific to the nature of the vulnerability.