A critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-1449) in Rockwell Automation’s Verve Asset Manager enables authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary commands on industrial control systems.
The flaw, rated CVSS v3.1 9.1 (Critical) and CVSS v4.0 8.9 (High), affects versions 1.39 and earlier, with a patch released in version 1.40. This vulnerability underscores persistent risks in legacy industrial software components.
Technical Overview
The vulnerability stems from improper input validation (CWE-1287) in the deprecated Legacy Active Directory Interface (ADI), a feature retired in the 1.36 release but remaining exploitable in older deployments.
Attackers with administrative privileges can manipulate unsanitized variables in the web interface to execute commands within the service container, potentially compromising entire industrial networks.
Key Technical Details:
- CVE Identifier: CVE-2025-1449
- Advisory ID: SD1723
- Affected Versions: Verve Asset Manager ≤1.39
- Patch: Version 1.40 (released March 2025)
- Attack Vector: Network-accessible, low-complexity exploitation
- CVSS v3.1 Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS v4.0 Vector:
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
The flaw’s severity arises from its broad systemic impact—compromised containers could disrupt operational technology (OT) environments, including critical manufacturing sectors.
Risk Analysis
| Factor | Details |
|---|---|
| Severity | Critical (CVSS v3.1: 9.1) / High (CVSS v4.0: 8.9) |
| Attack Complexity | Low |
| Privileges Required | Administrative Access |
| User Interaction | None |
| Scope | Systemic (S:C in CVSS v3.1) |
| Known Exploits | None reported (KEV: No) |
| Remediation Status | Patch available (V1.40) / No workarounds |
Industrial organizations using unpatched Verve Asset Manager instances risk credential harvesting, lateral movement, and operational disruption.
The UAE Cyber Security Council has flagged this vulnerability as high-risk for critical infrastructure.
Mitigation and Response
Rockwell Automation urges immediate upgrades to Verve Asset Manager 1.40, which eliminates the legacy ADI component.
For systems requiring legacy functionality, enforcing strict access controls and network segmentation is critical.
Security Best Practices:
- Conduct asset inventories to identify vulnerable deployments.
- Restrict administrative access using role-based controls.
- Monitor for anomalous command execution in containerized environments.
- Apply the latest CVSS v4.0 environmental metrics to assess localized risk.
Broader Implications
This vulnerability highlights the dangers of deprecated features in industrial software. Despite ADI’s deprecation in 2024, its residual presence in older versions created a latent attack surface.
Similar risks are evident in recent exploits like CVE-2024-39717 (Versa Director), where legacy interfaces enabled credential theft and lateral movement.
Rockwell Automation has not disclosed exploit activity, but the high CVSS score and low attack complexity suggest that proactive patching is essential. The absence of workarounds further emphasizes the urgency of adopting V1.40
CVE-2025-1449 represents a systemic threat to industrial environments, combining high exploitability with severe operational consequences.
Organizations must prioritize patch deployment and reassess legacy component risks in OT ecosystems.
Continuous vulnerability scoring (CVSS) and stakeholder-specific categorizations remain vital for threat prioritization.
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