CVE-2025-9954 is a missing authorization vulnerability classified under CWE-862 affecting Drupal's Acquia Digital Asset Management (DAM) product versions prior to 1.1.5. The flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass authorization controls and perform forceful browsing, meaning they can directly access URLs or resources that should be restricted. This vulnerability arises because the application fails to properly verify whether a user is authorized to view certain digital assets, leading to unauthorized disclosure of potentially sensitive or proprietary content stored within the DAM system. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a high severity, primarily due to the confidentiality impact (C:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requiring no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), and the scope remains unchanged (S:U). Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the simplicity of exploitation and the critical nature of the data managed by DAM systems make this a serious concern. Acquia DAM is widely used by organizations to manage, store, and distribute digital media assets, making unauthorized access a significant risk for intellectual property theft, data leakage, and compliance violations. The vulnerability was reserved in early September 2025 and published in late October 2025, with no patch links currently available, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-9954 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive digital assets managed within Acquia DAM. This can lead to intellectual property theft, exposure of confidential marketing materials, product designs, or customer data embedded in digital assets. Such data leakage can result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR breaches if personal data is exposed), and financial losses. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the risk of data tampering or service disruption is low. However, the ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the likelihood of opportunistic attacks. Organizations in sectors heavily reliant on digital media, such as advertising, publishing, and e-commerce, face elevated risks. Additionally, the exposure of proprietary content can weaken competitive advantage and invite further targeted attacks. The lack of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive defense, but the high CVSS score demands urgent attention.

Immediate mitigation involves upgrading Acquia DAM to version 1.1.5 or later once the patch is released by Drupal/Acquia. Until a patch is available, organizations should implement strict network-level access controls to restrict access to the DAM system only to trusted internal users and IP ranges. Employ web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block forceful browsing attempts, such as unusual URL patterns or repeated unauthorized access attempts. Conduct thorough access log monitoring to identify suspicious browsing behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Enforce strong authentication and authorization policies, including role-based access control (RBAC) and least privilege principles, to minimize exposure. Regularly audit user permissions and remove unnecessary access rights. Consider segmenting the DAM environment from public-facing networks to reduce attack surface. Finally, prepare incident response plans to quickly address any detected unauthorized access incidents.