CVE-2025-2777: SysAid On-Prem XXE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-2777 Overview

CVE-2025-2777 is a critical unauthenticated XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability affecting SysAid On-Prem versions 23.3.40 and earlier. The vulnerability exists in the lshw processing functionality and allows remote attackers to perform administrator account takeover and read arbitrary files from the system without requiring any authentication.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability enables unauthenticated attackers to take over administrator accounts and read sensitive files from the system, potentially leading to complete system compromise of affected SysAid On-Prem deployments.

Affected Products

• SysAid On-Prem versions <= 23.3.40
• SysAid On-Prem (all on-premises deployments running vulnerable versions)

Discovery Timeline

• May 7, 2025 - CVE-2025-2777 published to NVD
• June 27, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2777

Vulnerability Analysis

This XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability resides in the lshw processing functionality of SysAid On-Prem. XXE vulnerabilities occur when an application parses XML input containing references to external entities without proper validation or restriction. In this case, the vulnerable endpoint processes XML data from unauthenticated requests, making it particularly dangerous.

The attack surface is significant because the vulnerability requires no authentication, meaning any network-accessible attacker can exploit it. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure—attackers can leverage this flaw to achieve administrator account takeover, effectively gaining full control over the SysAid ticketing and IT service management platform.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-2777 is improper XML parsing configuration in the lshw processing functionality. The XML parser is configured to process external entity references without appropriate restrictions, allowing attackers to define malicious external entities in their XML payloads. This is classified as CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference).

When the application processes attacker-controlled XML data, it resolves these external entities, which can point to local files on the server or internal network resources. The lack of authentication on this endpoint compounds the severity, as no credentials are required to submit malicious XML payloads.

Attack Vector

The attack is carried out over the network against the vulnerable lshw processing endpoint. An attacker crafts a malicious XML payload containing external entity declarations that reference local files or internal resources. When this payload is submitted to the vulnerable endpoint, the XML parser processes these entities and includes the referenced content in its response or internal processing.

The exploitation typically follows these steps: the attacker identifies a SysAid On-Prem installation accessible over the network, constructs an XML payload with malicious entity declarations targeting sensitive files such as configuration files containing credentials, submits this payload to the vulnerable endpoint without authentication, and retrieves the contents of the targeted files from the server's response. This file read primitive can then be leveraged to obtain credentials or session tokens enabling administrator account takeover.

Technical details and analysis of this vulnerability are available in the WatchTowr RCE Support Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2777

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual XML requests to SysAid endpoints containing DOCTYPE declarations or ENTITY definitions
• Web server logs showing requests with XML payloads referencing file://, http://, or other URI schemes in entity declarations
• Unexpected file access attempts logged on the SysAid server, particularly targeting configuration files or credential stores
• Authentication anomalies such as administrator logins from unexpected IP addresses following XXE attack patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests containing XXE attack signatures such as <!DOCTYPE, <!ENTITY, and SYSTEM keywords in request bodies
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block XML payloads containing external entity declarations
• Deploy network intrusion detection rules to identify XXE exploitation attempts targeting SysAid endpoints
• Review SysAid access logs for unauthenticated requests to the lshw processing functionality

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on SysAid On-Prem to capture detailed request information
• Configure alerting for any XML parsing errors or exceptions that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Monitor for file access patterns consistent with XXE exploitation, such as reads of /etc/passwd, configuration files, or credential stores
• Implement endpoint detection on SysAid servers to identify suspicious process behavior or unauthorized file access

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2777

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade SysAid On-Prem to version 24.40.60 or later immediately, as referenced in the SysAid Documentation
• If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the SysAid On-Prem server to trusted IP addresses only
• Place the SysAid server behind a Web Application Firewall (WAF) configured to block XXE attack patterns
• Review administrator accounts for signs of compromise and reset credentials if suspicious activity is detected

Patch Information

SysAid has addressed this vulnerability in their software updates. Organizations running SysAid On-Prem should upgrade to version 24.40.60 or later to remediate CVE-2025-2777. Detailed upgrade instructions and release notes are available in the SysAid Documentation Overview.

Given the critical nature of this vulnerability and its unauthenticated exploitation path, patching should be treated as an urgent priority.

Workarounds

• Implement network segmentation to isolate the SysAid server from untrusted networks until patching can be completed
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF in front of the SysAid application to filter malicious XML payloads containing external entity declarations
• Disable or restrict access to the vulnerable lshw processing endpoint if it is not required for operations
• Monitor all network traffic to and from the SysAid server for signs of XXE exploitation attempts