CVE-2025-0509: Sparkle Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-0509 Overview

A security issue was found in Sparkle before version 2.6.4. An attacker can replace an existing signed update with another payload, bypassing Sparkle’s (Ed)DSA signing checks.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code by bypassing digital signature checks.

Affected Products

• sparkle-project sparkle
• netapp hci_compute_node
• netapp oncommand_workflow_automation

Discovery Timeline

• Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
• Not Available - Responsible disclosure to sparkle-project
• Not Available - CVE CVE-2025-0509 assigned
• Not Available - sparkle-project releases security patch
• 2025-02-04T20:15:49.763 - CVE CVE-2025-0509 published to NVD
• 2025-08-05T14:35:15.903 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-0509

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability in Sparkle allows an attacker on the adjacent network to replace a signed update with a malicious payload. Since Sparkle's update mechanism fails to properly validate signatures due to bypass in the (Ed)DSA check, it opens up the possibility for exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper validation of update signatures in Sparkle’s update mechanism, where (Ed)DSA signature checks are bypassed.

Attack Vector

The attack requires access to the same local network, exploiting the update process and injecting malicious code in place of legitimate updates.

# Example exploitation code (sanitized)
echo "Replace existing update with malicious payload"
scp malicious_payload user@victim:/path/to/sparkle/update

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-0509

Indicators of Compromise

• Unauthorized updates installed
• Unexpected network connections during update process
• Integrity check failures for update files

Detection Strategies

Deploy network monitoring tools to detect unusual file transfers during the update process. Use anomaly detection to identify deviations from normal update patterns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Establish monitoring on network traffic related to update servers, and implement file integrity monitoring on update directories.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-0509

Immediate Actions Required

• Implement a network segmentation strategy to isolate update traffic.
• Validate update signatures using additional checks.
• Monitor the update process for unexpected changes.

Patch Information

Apply the latest patch from the Sparkle project to ensure signature checks are properly enforced. Details are available here.

Workarounds

Restrict update processes to local networks only or apply VPN connections to ensure authenticity of updates.

# Configuration example for network isolation
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s trusted-update-server -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP