CVE-2025-0994 Overview
Trimble Cityworks versions prior to 15.8.9 and Cityworks with office companion versions prior to 23.10 suffer from a deserialization vulnerability that could facilitate remote code execution attacks by authenticated users against a Microsoft IIS web server.
Critical Impact
This vulnerability allows remote code execution, posing significant risks to server integrity and data security.
Affected Products
- Trimble Cityworks versions prior to 15.8.9
- Cityworks with office companion versions prior to 23.10
- Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) impacted when running vulnerable Cityworks versions
Discovery Timeline
- Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Unknown
- Not Available - Responsible disclosure to Trimble
- Not Available - CVE CVE-2025-0994 assigned
- Not Available - Trimble releases security patch
- 2025-02-06 - CVE CVE-2025-0994 published to NVD
- 2025-10-30 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-0994
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability arises from improper deserialization handling in Trimble Cityworks, which allows attackers to inject malicious serialized objects. When the system deserializes these objects, arbitrary code execution can occur, potentially compromising the system.
Root Cause
The root cause is insecure deserialization of user-supplied input without adequate sanitization and validation.
Attack Vector
The attack is executed over the network by an authenticated user through the Cityworks interface, targeting the IIS server running the vulnerable application.
// Example exploitation code (sanitized)
ObjectInputStream in = new ObjectInputStream(new FileInputStream("malicious.ser"));
Object obj = (MaliciousObject) in.readObject();
in.close();
obj.execute(); // Arbitrary code execution occurs here
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-0994
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected outbound network traffic from the IIS server
- Presence of unauthorized serialized objects
- Anomalies in user activity logs
Detection Strategies
Utilize behavior-based monitoring to track anomalies in application logic and unauthorized serialized object importation. Employ network traffic analysis to identify unauthorized outbound communications.
Monitoring Recommendations
Set up alerts for unusual access patterns and monitor logs for deserialization events. Implement network-based intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to capture exploit attempts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-0994
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict network access to critical systems running Cityworks
- Validate and sanitize all user-supplied input
- Enable application whitelisting on IIS servers
Patch Information
Update Cityworks to version 15.8.9 or later. Refer to Trimble Advisory for patch details.
Workarounds
Disable the deserialization feature in Cityworks temporarily if patching is not feasible. Use application security controls to intercept and block malicious payloads.
# Configuration example
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -d malicious-server.com -j REJECT
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
