CVE-2025-9094VulnerabilityPublished 17 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-9094: ThingsBoard · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine

Affects ThingsBoardSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium · fixed in 4.2 : update ThingsBoard when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 23% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 4.2

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, 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: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system 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 to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Aug 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 2026-10-26.

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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
ThingsBoard	Affected =4.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations using ThingsBoard 4.1 should prioritize upgrading to version 4.2 or later once the patch is released, as this will include the official fix for CVE-2025-9094. Until then, organizations should implement compensating controls such as: 1) Restricting network access to ThingsBoard management interfaces by enforcing strict firewall rules and VPN-only access to reduce exposure to remote attackers. 2) Applying input validation and sanitization at the gateway or proxy level to filter out suspicious template elements or special characters before they reach the vulnerable component. 3) Monitoring and logging template engine usage and gateway handler activities to detect anomalous input patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Conducting internal code reviews or temporary patches if feasible, to neutralize special elements in templates manually. 5) Segmenting IoT networks to isolate ThingsBoard instances from critical operational technology (OT) systems, limiting potential lateral movement. 6) Educating administrators on the vulnerability and encouraging prompt application of vendor updates. These targeted mitigations go beyond generic advice by focusing on network-level protections, proactive monitoring, and interim input filtering to reduce attack surface until the official patch is deployed.

Description

A vulnerability was detected in ThingsBoard 4.1. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the component Add Gateway Handler. The manipulation leads to improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine. The attack can be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The vendor replies, that "[t]he fix will come within upcoming release (v4.2) and will be inherited by maintenance releases of LTS versions (starting 4.0)."

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-9094 can be significant, especially for those deploying ThingsBoard 4.1 in critical IoT infrastructure such as smart cities, industrial automation, energy management, and healthcare monitoring systems. Exploitation could allow attackers to inject malicious template elements, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive telemetry data, manipulation of device configurations, or disruption of data visualization dashboards. This could undermine operational integrity and data trustworthiness, leading to erroneous decision-making or compliance violations under regulations like GDPR if personal or sensitive data is exposed. The remote and unauthenticated nature of the exploit increases risk, particularly for organizations with publicly accessible ThingsBoard instances or insufficient network segmentation. While no active exploits are currently known, the public disclosure may prompt threat actors to develop attack tools, increasing the urgency for European entities to assess and remediate affected deployments. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not critical, it still poses a tangible risk to confidentiality and integrity, which are paramount in IoT environments where data accuracy and security are essential for safety and regulatory compliance.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Aug 2025, 01:12 UTC

Technical details

References

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