CVE-2025-1041: Avaya Call Management System RCE Flaw

CVE-2025-1041 Overview

An improper input validation vulnerability has been discovered in Avaya Call Management System that could allow an unauthorized attacker to execute remote commands via a specially crafted web request. This vulnerability affects enterprise telephony management infrastructure, potentially exposing organizations to complete system compromise without requiring authentication.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote command execution allows attackers to gain full control of Avaya Call Management System deployments, potentially compromising enterprise voice communications infrastructure and enabling lateral movement within affected networks.

Affected Products

• Avaya Call Management System version 18.x (all versions)
• Avaya Call Management System version 19.x prior to 19.2.0.7
• Avaya Call Management System version 20.x prior to 20.0.1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-10 - CVE-2025-1041 published to NVD
• 2025-07-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1041

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), indicating that the Avaya Call Management System fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before processing it. The flaw exists in the web interface component of the application, where specially crafted HTTP requests can bypass input validation controls and result in arbitrary command execution on the underlying system.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any attacker who can reach the web interface of an affected Avaya Call Management System can potentially exploit this flaw. The attack requires no prior authentication, no user interaction, and can be executed with low complexity, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing deployments or systems accessible from untrusted network segments.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient input validation in the web request handling component of Avaya Call Management System. When processing certain HTTP parameters or request elements, the application fails to properly sanitize user input before passing it to system-level command execution functions. This allows malicious input containing command injection payloads to be interpreted and executed by the underlying operating system with the privileges of the application process.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely over the network through the web interface of the Avaya Call Management System. An attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request containing specially formatted input designed to escape the expected input context and inject arbitrary operating system commands. Upon receiving and processing the malicious request, the vulnerable system executes the injected commands, potentially allowing the attacker to:

• Execute arbitrary system commands with application-level privileges
• Read or modify sensitive configuration data
• Establish persistent access mechanisms
• Pivot to other systems within the network
• Disrupt call management and telephony services

The attack does not require any form of authentication or user interaction, making it exploitable by any network adversary with connectivity to the vulnerable web interface.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1041

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected or anomalous HTTP requests to the Avaya Call Management System web interface containing unusual characters or command syntax in parameters
• New or unauthorized user accounts created on the Call Management System
• Unusual process spawning from the Avaya CMS web application processes
• Unexpected outbound network connections from the Call Management System server

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests containing command injection patterns targeting the Avaya CMS web interface
• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) with signatures for common command injection payloads in HTTP traffic
• Monitor Avaya Call Management System application and web server logs for requests containing shell metacharacters or encoded command sequences
• Configure SIEM correlation rules to alert on suspicious patterns of web requests to CMS endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the Avaya Call Management System web interface and forward logs to a centralized security monitoring platform
• Implement real-time monitoring of system process creation events on servers hosting Avaya CMS
• Monitor for unauthorized configuration changes or new scheduled tasks on affected systems
• Track network connections from Avaya CMS servers to detect potential command-and-control activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1041

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Avaya Call Management System version 19.x to version 19.2.0.7 or later immediately
• Upgrade Avaya Call Management System version 20.x to version 20.0.1.0 or later immediately
• For version 18.x deployments, contact Avaya support for upgrade guidance as all 18.x versions are affected
• Restrict network access to the Avaya CMS web interface to trusted management networks only
• Implement additional network segmentation to isolate telephony management systems from general network access

Patch Information

Avaya has released security updates addressing this vulnerability. Organizations running affected versions should apply the appropriate patches as soon as possible. Detailed patch information and download links are available in the Avaya Support Document. For version 19.x, upgrade to 19.2.0.7 or later. For version 20.x, upgrade to 20.0.1.0 or later. Version 18.x users should consult with Avaya support regarding migration to a supported version.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls to limit access to the Avaya CMS web interface to only authorized administrator workstations
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of the Avaya CMS web interface configured to block requests containing command injection patterns
• Place the Avaya Call Management System in an isolated network segment with no direct internet connectivity
• Enable enhanced logging and monitoring while awaiting patch deployment to detect potential exploitation attempts

# Example: Restrict access to Avaya CMS web interface via firewall
# Allow only trusted management network (adjust IP ranges as appropriate)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.10.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP

# For systems using firewalld
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-rich-rule='rule family="ipv4" source address="10.10.10.0/24" port port="443" protocol="tcp" accept'
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-rich-rule='rule family="ipv4" port port="443" protocol="tcp" drop'
firewall-cmd --reload