CVE-2025-54393

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-54393 is a critical Static Code Injection vulnerability in Netwrix Directory Manager (formerly Imanami GroupID) versions prior to 11.1.25162.02. An authenticated user can exploit this flaw to inject arbitrary static code, leading to privilege escalation and full administrative access. The vulnerability resides in the application’s handling of user-supplied input during directory management operations, allowing an attacker to bypass authorization controls. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code is currently available, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild. However, given the potential for complete compromise, immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to open-source package ecosystems (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a proprietary enterprise application (Netwrix Directory Manager). Organizations should verify the integrity of their software distribution channels and ensure that only official Netwrix updates are applied.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which is likely a placeholder. Based on the vulnerability type (Static Code Injection leading to privilege escalation), a realistic CVSS v3.1 vector would be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – no special conditions.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – requires authenticated user.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – no user action needed.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – vulnerability does not cross trust boundaries.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – full data access.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – full data modification.
• Availability (A): High (H) – potential for denial of service.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Estimated Base Score: 8.8 (High)

Threat Level: High. Although no active exploitation is reported, the impact is severe, and the attack surface is accessible to any authenticated user.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a Static Code Injection (CWE-94) in Netwrix Directory Manager. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input when processing directory management commands. An authenticated attacker can inject static code (e.g., JavaScript, VBScript, or PowerShell) that is executed in the context of the application server.

Attack Flow:

1. Authentication: The attacker must have valid credentials for the Netwrix Directory Manager web interface.
2. Input Injection: The attacker crafts a malicious payload within a directory attribute or configuration field (e.g., displayName, description, or custom attributes).
3. Code Execution: The injected code is stored and later executed by the application server, typically during a scheduled task or administrative action.
4. Privilege Escalation: The injected code runs with the privileges of the application service account, which often has administrative rights. The attacker can then create new admin accounts, modify permissions, or exfiltrate data.

Root Cause: Lack of input validation and output encoding in the directory management module. The application treats user input as executable code rather than data.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

// Example of vulnerable server-side code
function processDirectoryAttribute(attributeName, attributeValue) {
    // Directly evaluates user input as code
    eval("updateDirectory('" + attributeName + "', '" + attributeValue + "')");
}

Patched Code (Conceptual):

// Example of patched server-side code
function processDirectoryAttribute(attributeName, attributeValue) {
    // Sanitize input and use parameterized queries
    var sanitizedValue = sanitizeInput(attributeValue);
    updateDirectory(attributeName, sanitizedValue);
}

The patch introduces input sanitization and removes the use of eval() or similar dynamic code execution functions. The exact patch details are proprietary to Netwrix.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• Valid credentials for Netwrix Directory Manager (any authenticated user).
• Network access to the web interface (typically port 443 or 8080).

Exploitation Steps:

1. Login: Authenticate to the Netwrix Directory Manager web console.
2. Identify Injection Point: Navigate to a directory attribute that is processed by the server (e.g., user description field).
3. Craft Payload: Inject a static code payload. Example for PowerShell:

   $admin = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry("LDAP://domain.com/CN=Administrators,CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com")
   $admin.Properties["member"].Add("CN=attacker,CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com")
   $admin.CommitChanges()
   

4. Trigger Execution: Save the attribute and trigger a server-side action (e.g., synchronization or report generation).
5. Escalate Privileges: The injected code runs, adding the attacker to the Administrators group.

Note: No public exploit code is available. The above is a conceptual example.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor Logs: Look for unusual modifications to directory attributes, especially by non-admin users.
2. Audit Code Execution: Enable application logging for any eval() or dynamic code execution events.
3. Network Monitoring: Detect outbound connections from the application server to unknown IPs (potential C2).
4. User Behavior Analytics: Flag users who suddenly modify multiple directory attributes or attempt to access administrative functions.

Honeypot Strategy: Deploy a decoy Netwrix Directory Manager instance with fake admin credentials to lure attackers.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Hashes: (None available – no known malware associated)
• Network Indicators:
  • Unusual outbound connections from the Netwrix server on ports 443, 80, or 53.
  • HTTP POST requests to /DirectoryManager/api/attributes with suspicious payloads.
• Log Entries:
  • Event ID 4624 (successful logon) followed by Event ID 4672 (special privileges assigned) for non-admin users.
  • Application logs containing eval() or Invoke-Expression calls.
• Registry/File Changes:
  • New scheduled tasks created on the Netwrix server.
  • Modified web.config or appsettings.json files.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_54393_StaticCodeInjection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects static code injection patterns in Netwrix Directory Manager logs"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-54393"
    strings:
        $s1 = "eval(" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "Invoke-Expression" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "DirectoryEntry" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "attributeValue" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of ($s*) and filesize < 10MB
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-54393 - Static Code Injection in Netwrix Directory Manager
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-9c8d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects potential exploitation of CVE-2025-54393 via log analysis
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: application
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 4624
        TargetUserName: '*'
    filter:
        EventID: 4672
        TargetUserName: 'Administrator'
    condition: selection and not filter
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin activity
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-54393 - Netwrix Directory Manager Static Code Injection"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/DirectoryManager/api/attributes"; http_uri; content:"eval("; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Patch: Upgrade to Netwrix Directory Manager version 11.1.25162.02 or later.
2. Workaround: If patching is not possible, restrict access to the web interface to trusted IPs only.
3. Disable Unused Features: Disable any directory attribute editing features for non-admin users.

Long-Term Measures:

• Implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data.
• Conduct regular security audits of the application code.
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block code injection attempts.
• Enable detailed logging and monitoring for all administrative actions.

Valters IT Signature
This report is provided for educational and defensive purposes only. Unauthorized exploitation of this vulnerability is illegal.