CVE-2025-9822

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-9822 is a security advisory affecting Mautic, an open-source marketing automation platform. The vulnerability allows a user with administrator rights to change the configuration of the Mautic application and extract secrets that are not normally available. This includes sensitive parameters such as database credentials, which an administrator would not typically have access to. The CVSS score is 5.5 (Medium), and the attack vector is network-based with low complexity, requiring high privileges. No public proof-of-concept or patch details are currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Mautic is a PHP-based application distributed via GitHub and Composer. The vulnerability does not directly affect the supply chain but could be exploited by a malicious administrator to extract secrets from the application configuration. Organizations using Mautic should ensure that administrative access is tightly controlled and monitored.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 5.5 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: High (PR:H)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H)
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N)
• Availability Impact: None (A:N)

The threat level is medium due to the requirement for high privileges (administrator rights). However, the potential impact is high as it can lead to the disclosure of sensitive secrets like database credentials.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability lies in the configuration management functionality of Mautic. An authenticated administrator can modify application settings to expose secrets that are normally hidden. This could be achieved by manipulating configuration files or using the admin interface to change parameters that reveal sensitive data.

The exact mechanism is not publicly documented, but it likely involves:

• Accessing the configuration panel.
• Modifying settings that control the display or logging of sensitive parameters.
• Extracting secrets from the application’s environment or configuration files.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch details are available, a direct code comparison cannot be provided. However, the vulnerability likely exists in the configuration handling code. A patched version would restrict the ability of administrators to view or modify sensitive parameters.

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

// Vulnerable: Allows admin to view all config parameters
$config = $this->getConfig();
return $this->render('config.html.twig', ['config' => $config]);

Patched Code (Conceptual):

// Patched: Filters out sensitive parameters
$config = $this->getConfig();
$filteredConfig = array_diff_key($config, array_flip(['db_password', 'secret_key']));
return $this->render('config.html.twig', ['config' => $filteredConfig]);

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Prerequisites:

• Mautic instance with admin credentials.
• Network access to the Mautic web interface.

Steps:

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Navigate to the configuration settings (e.g., /s/config).
3. Modify configuration parameters to expose secrets (e.g., change display_errors to On or enable debug mode).
4. Access the application logs or error pages to extract database credentials or other secrets.

Example Request:

POST /s/config HTTP/1.1
Host: target-mautic.com
Cookie: PHPSESSID=admin_session
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

config[display_errors]=1&config[debug]=1

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual configuration changes by administrators.
• Alert on access to sensitive configuration pages.
• Log all configuration modifications and review for anomalies.

Mitigation:

• Restrict administrative access to only trusted users.
• Implement multi-factor authentication for admin accounts.
• Regularly audit configuration changes.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP requests to /s/config or similar configuration endpoints.
• Logs: Unusual changes to display_errors, debug, or other settings.
• Files: Modified config.php or .env files.
• Behavior: Administrator accounts accessing configuration pages outside of normal maintenance windows.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_9822_Mautic_Config_Exposure {
    meta:
        description = "Detects attempts to exploit CVE-2025-9822 by modifying Mautic config to expose secrets"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-9822"
    strings:
        $config_page = "/s/config" ascii wide nocase
        $display_errors = "display_errors" ascii wide nocase
        $debug = "debug" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        $config_page and ($display_errors or $debug)
}

Sigma Rule

title: Mautic Configuration Modification Attempt
id: 8a9b3c4d-5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d
status: experimental
description: Detects attempts to modify Mautic configuration to expose secrets (CVE-2025-9822)
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        c-uri: '/s/config'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate configuration changes by authorized admins
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-9822 Mautic Configuration Modification Attempt";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    content:"/s/config"; http_uri;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
    reference:cve,2025-9822;
    classtype:attempted-recon;
    priority:2;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

• Immediate: Restrict administrative access to only necessary personnel. Monitor configuration changes.
• Short-term: Apply any patches released by Mautic. If no patch is available, consider disabling the configuration panel for non-essential admins.
• Long-term: Implement a configuration management tool that logs and alerts on changes. Use secrets management solutions to store sensitive data outside of application configuration.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers