CVE-2025-24977 Overview
CVE-2025-24977 is a critical code injection vulnerability affecting OpenCTI, an open-source cyber threat intelligence (CTI) platform. The vulnerability exists in the webhook functionality and allows authenticated users with the manage customizations capability to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying infrastructure where OpenCTI is hosted. Successful exploitation grants attackers root shell access inside the container, enabling access to internal server-side secrets and opening avenues for further infrastructure attacks.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can achieve remote code execution with root privileges inside the OpenCTI container, compromising infrastructure security and exposing sensitive server-side secrets.
Affected Products
- Citeum OpenCTI versions prior to 6.4.11
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-05 - CVE-2025-24977 published to NVD
- 2025-05-22 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24977
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability represents a severe code injection flaw (CWE-94) within the OpenCTI platform's webhook handling mechanism. The core issue lies in improper input validation and sanitization of webhook configurations, allowing malicious users to inject and execute arbitrary system commands on the server hosting the OpenCTI instance.
The vulnerability requires authentication with the manage customizations capability, which limits the initial attack surface to privileged users. However, the impact is significant because successful exploitation results in command execution with root privileges within the container environment. This level of access enables attackers to extract sensitive configuration data, API keys, database credentials, and other server-side secrets that may be accessible within the container.
The scope change indicated in the vulnerability assessment means that exploitation can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself, potentially affecting other services and systems within the infrastructure.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2025-24977 is improper neutralization of special elements used in command construction within the webhook functionality. The application fails to adequately sanitize or validate user-supplied input when processing webhook configurations, allowing command injection payloads to be interpreted and executed by the underlying operating system.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based, requiring an authenticated session with the manage customizations permission. An attacker would need to:
- Authenticate to the OpenCTI platform with appropriate privileges
- Navigate to the webhook configuration functionality
- Craft a malicious webhook configuration containing command injection payloads
- Trigger the webhook to execute the injected commands
- Leverage the root shell access to exfiltrate secrets or pivot to other infrastructure components
The vulnerability exploitation does not require user interaction and can be performed remotely over the network.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24977
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual webhook configurations containing shell metacharacters or command sequences
- Unexpected outbound network connections from the OpenCTI container
- Anomalous process execution within the OpenCTI container environment
- Access to sensitive files or environment variables from within the container
Detection Strategies
- Monitor webhook configuration changes for suspicious patterns including shell commands, pipes, or command chaining operators
- Implement logging and alerting for all manage customizations capability usage
- Deploy container runtime security to detect unauthorized command execution
- Review access logs for unusual patterns from users with administrative capabilities
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable comprehensive audit logging for all webhook-related operations
- Implement file integrity monitoring within the OpenCTI container
- Monitor for unusual network traffic originating from the container
- Configure alerts for privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized secret access
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24977
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade OpenCTI to version 6.4.11 or later immediately
- Audit all users with the manage customizations capability and revoke unnecessary permissions
- Review existing webhook configurations for potential malicious payloads
- Inspect container logs for signs of prior exploitation
Patch Information
Citeum has released version 6.4.11 of OpenCTI which addresses this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the code injection flaw. Detailed information about the fix is available in the GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-mf88-g2wq-p7qm).
Workarounds
- Restrict the manage customizations capability to only essential trusted administrators
- Implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius of a container compromise
- Deploy additional container security controls to restrict command execution capabilities
- Consider temporarily disabling webhook functionality if not business-critical until patching is complete
# Review users with manage customizations capability
# and consider restricting access pending upgrade
# Verify OpenCTI version
docker exec opencti cat /opt/opencti/package.json | grep version
# Upgrade to patched version
docker pull opencti/platform:6.4.11
docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
