A significant security flaw has been identified in Bitdefender’s GravityZone Console, potentially enabling remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-2244, carries a CVSS score of 9.5, indicating its critical nature. The issue arises from an insecure PHP deserialization process within the console’s email processing functionality, posing substantial risks to enterprises utilizing this endpoint protection solution.
Insecure PHP Deserialization in GravityZone Console
The vulnerability is specifically located in the `sendMailFromRemoteSource` method within the `Emails.php` file. Here, the application employs PHP’s `unserialize()` function on user-supplied input without adequate validation. This implementation flaw allows attackers to submit specially crafted serialized PHP objects. When processed by the vulnerable function, these objects can trigger PHP object injection, enabling malicious actors to exploit PHP’s magic methods to perform file operations and ultimately execute arbitrary commands on the hosting server.
Discovery and Disclosure
Security researcher Nicolas Verdier, known by the handle @n1nj4sec, discovered and responsibly reported this vulnerability. The flaw has been assigned the identifier VA-12634 and is characterized by its network exploitability and significant impact potential. According to the CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H), the vulnerability:
– Requires no authentication or user interaction
– Can be exploited remotely over the network
– Provides attackers with complete control over affected systems
– Potentially exposes all data managed by GravityZone Console
Successful exploitation allows attackers to write malicious files to the system and execute arbitrary commands with the same privileges as the web server process. This could lead to a complete compromise of the GravityZone management console and potentially provide a foothold for lateral movement within the organization’s network.
Affected Versions and Mitigation
The vulnerability affects Bitdefender GravityZone Console versions prior to 6.41.2-1. Bitdefender has addressed this issue in version 6.41.2-1, released as an automatic update. Organizations using the affected product should verify that their installations have been successfully updated to this version or later. The fix implements proper input validation before deserialization and adopts safer alternatives to PHP’s native `unserialize()` function.
Recommendations for Security Administrators
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, security administrators should:
– Monitor systems for unexpected file creation or modification
– Review logs for suspicious activities related to the GravityZone Console
– Implement network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces
– Apply the principle of least privilege to service accounts running security applications
Broader Context: Previous Vulnerabilities in GravityZone
This is not the first time vulnerabilities have been identified in Bitdefender’s GravityZone products. In August 2024, a critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-6980) was discovered in the GravityZone Update Server. This flaw, with a CVSS score of 9.2, stemmed from verbose error handling in the proxy service, allowing attackers to perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks. Such attacks could enable unauthorized access and data exfiltration, compromising the security and integrity of affected systems.
The vulnerability affected on-premises installations of GravityZone Console versions prior to 6.38.1-5. Bitdefender promptly released an automatic update to version 6.38.1-5 to address the issue. Organizations were strongly advised to apply the update immediately to mitigate the associated risks.
Preventive Measures Against SSRF Attacks
To prevent SSRF vulnerabilities, organizations should:
– Validate and sanitize user inputs to ensure that URLs or other inputs triggering server-side requests are properly checked and do not contain malicious or unexpected values.
– Implement a whitelist of allowed URLs or domains that the server can access, ensuring only legitimate and safe destinations can be reached.
– Isolate critical systems and sensitive data from parts of the network handling external requests, reducing the potential impact of an SSRF attack.
– Disable unnecessary protocols or services that can be exploited by SSRF attacks, such as certain HTTP methods or internal network access.
– Ensure developers follow secure coding guidelines and use frameworks or libraries that help mitigate SSRF vulnerabilities.
– Implement thorough logging and monitoring to detect and respond to suspicious activities indicative of SSRF attacks in real time.
Ensuring Continuous Security
Staying updated on cybersecurity trends and responding swiftly to new vulnerabilities is crucial. Utilizing tools like SOCRadar’s Attack Surface Management (ASM) module can help protect digital assets by continuously monitoring them, providing timely threat alerts, and enabling effective preemptive actions to enhance cybersecurity posture.
SOCRadar’s threat intelligence platform aggregates data from multiple sources, including deep web monitoring, dark web intelligence, and threat actor tracking, providing organizations with a comprehensive view of the latest security risks. This intelligence is continuously updated and analyzed, allowing for the identification and prioritization of emerging threats before exploitation can take place.
Conclusion
The discovery of CVE-2025-2244 in Bitdefender’s GravityZone Console underscores the importance of proactive vulnerability management and the need for organizations to stay vigilant against emerging threats. By promptly applying security updates, implementing robust input validation, and adhering to secure coding practices, organizations can significantly reduce their risk exposure and maintain the integrity of their security infrastructures.
