CVE-2025-1341: Pmweb Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1341 Overview

CVE-2025-1341 is a weak password requirements vulnerability [CWE-521] affecting PMWeb 7.2.0. The flaw resides in an unspecified portion of the Setting Handler component. Attackers can manipulate configuration logic remotely to bypass adequate password strength enforcement. Public disclosure of the exploit details has occurred, though attack complexity remains high and exploitability is rated as difficult. The vendor was contacted prior to disclosure but did not respond, leaving the issue unaddressed at the time of publication.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can leverage relaxed password policies in the PMWeb Setting Handler to facilitate credential guessing and account compromise against affected deployments.

Affected Products

PMWeb 7.2.0
PMWeb Setting Handler component
Deployments using default password configuration policies

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-16 - CVE-2025-1341 published to NVD
2025-10-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1341

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from insufficient password strength enforcement within the PMWeb 7.2.0 Setting Handler. The component fails to enforce robust complexity, length, or composition requirements when administrators or users configure account credentials. This weakness aligns with [CWE-521] Weak Password Requirements, where authentication controls accept credentials that fall below recognized security baselines.

An attacker operating remotely can exploit this flaw by targeting accounts protected only by weak passwords. The published EPSS probability of 0.063% reflects a low expected exploitation likelihood in the near term, but the public disclosure of details elevates long-term risk. Successful credential compromise grants attackers access to project management data, financial records, and contractual documents typically stored within PMWeb instances.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the Setting Handler component, which governs configuration of authentication policies. The handler does not enforce strong password rules such as minimum length, character class diversity, or rejection of common passwords. This design omission permits administrators and users to set trivially guessable credentials, undermining the authentication boundary.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and does not require prior authentication or user interaction. An adversary with access to the PMWeb login interface can launch credential-guessing campaigns including dictionary and brute-force attacks. Because the configuration accepts weak passwords, the search space is significantly reduced. Attack complexity is rated as high, reflecting the need for sustained guessing efforts and likely tuning against specific deployments. Refer to the VulDB advisory #295959 for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1341

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated failed authentication attempts against PMWeb login endpoints originating from a small set of source addresses
Successful logins following extended sequences of authentication failures for the same account
Unexpected administrator session activity outside normal business hours
Configuration changes to the Setting Handler that relax or modify authentication parameters

Detection Strategies

Audit existing PMWeb account credentials against password strength baselines and known compromised password lists
Correlate web server access logs for high-volume POST requests to PMWeb authentication endpoints
Inspect Setting Handler audit trails for unauthorized modifications to authentication policies
Monitor for anomalous geolocation or user-agent strings associated with administrative logins

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward PMWeb application and authentication logs to a centralized logging platform for retention and correlation
Configure alerts for authentication failure rate thresholds exceeding normal baselines per account and per source IP
Track session creation events tied to privileged PMWeb roles and review them against change-management records

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1341

Immediate Actions Required

Force password resets for all PMWeb accounts and require credentials that meet recognized strength standards such as NIST SP 800-63B
Restrict network exposure of PMWeb 7.2.0 instances to trusted networks or VPN segments until a vendor patch is available
Enable multi-factor authentication where the deployment architecture supports it to offset weak password enforcement
Review account inventories and disable unused or default accounts in the PMWeb Setting Handler

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently available. According to the public disclosure, the vendor was contacted but did not respond. Administrators should monitor official PMWeb communications and the VulDB entry for CVE-2025-1341 for updates. Until a fix is released, the recommended remediation is to adjust configuration settings to enforce strong passwords externally where possible.

Workarounds

Implement compensating controls at the network perimeter such as web application firewall rules that rate-limit authentication attempts
Deploy an upstream reverse proxy that enforces additional authentication factors before requests reach PMWeb
Apply account lockout policies through supporting infrastructure to slow credential-guessing attacks
Continuously screen passwords against breached credential databases and rotate any matches immediately

bash

# Example nginx rate-limiting configuration to slow credential guessing
http {
    limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=pmweb_login:10m rate=5r/m;

    server {
        location /PMWeb/login {
            limit_req zone=pmweb_login burst=10 nodelay;
            proxy_pass http://pmweb_backend;
        }
    }
}