CVE-2025-9804 is an improper access control vulnerability identified in WSO2 Identity Server when used as a Key Manager, affecting versions 5.3.0 through 5.10.0. The flaw arises from insufficient permission enforcement within certain internal SOAP Admin Services and System REST APIs. This allows a low-privileged user to bypass access restrictions and perform unauthorized administrative operations, including retrieving sensitive server-level information that should be protected. The vulnerability is confined to internal administrative interfaces and does not affect APIs exposed via the WSO2 API Manager's API Gateway, limiting the attack surface to internal network environments or those with exposed admin interfaces. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.6 reflects the critical severity, with attack vector classified as adjacent network (AV:A), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and scope changed (S:C), indicating that exploitation can lead to a complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a high-risk issue. WSO2 Identity Server is widely used for identity and access management, including key management functions, making this vulnerability particularly impactful in environments where it manages authentication, authorization, and cryptographic keys. The flaw could enable attackers to escalate privileges, extract sensitive data, or disrupt critical identity services, potentially leading to broader network compromise.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-9804 is significant due to the critical role WSO2 Identity Server plays in identity and key management infrastructures. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive identity data, cryptographic keys, and administrative controls, undermining the confidentiality and integrity of authentication and authorization processes. This could facilitate lateral movement within networks, data breaches, and disruption of critical services. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and telecommunications, which rely heavily on robust identity management, face heightened risks. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited without authentication or user interaction increases the likelihood of successful attacks, especially if internal admin interfaces are exposed or poorly segmented. The potential for complete system compromise also threatens availability, possibly causing denial of service or operational outages. Given the interconnected nature of European IT infrastructures and stringent data protection regulations like GDPR, such a breach could result in severe regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

1. Immediate application of patches or updates from WSO2 once they become available is critical to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Until patches are deployed, restrict access to internal SOAP Admin Services and System REST APIs by implementing strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access only to trusted administrative hosts. 3. Employ strong authentication and authorization controls on administrative interfaces, including multi-factor authentication and role-based access control, to minimize the risk of unauthorized access. 4. Conduct thorough audits of user permissions and access logs to detect any anomalous or unauthorized activities related to internal admin interfaces. 5. Disable or restrict unused internal administrative APIs and services to reduce the attack surface. 6. Monitor threat intelligence feeds and WSO2 advisories for updates on exploits or mitigation strategies. 7. Educate IT and security teams about the vulnerability to ensure rapid response and containment in case of attempted exploitation. 8. Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tuned to detect suspicious activities targeting WSO2 internal interfaces.