CVE-2025-37164: HPE OneView RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-37164 Overview

CVE-2025-37164 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability affecting HPE OneView, a comprehensive infrastructure management platform used by enterprises to manage data center resources. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely on affected systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild and has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Organizations using HPE OneView should prioritize immediate patching.

Affected Products

• HPE OneView (all versions prior to patched release)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-16 - CVE-2025-37164 published to NVD
• 2026-01-10 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-37164

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code, or Code Injection). The flaw enables attackers to inject and execute malicious code on the target system without requiring authentication. Given that HPE OneView is typically deployed as a central management console for enterprise infrastructure, successful exploitation could grant attackers control over the management plane of an organization's entire data center environment.

The vulnerability is network-accessible and requires no user interaction or special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where HPE OneView interfaces are exposed to untrusted networks. A Metasploit module has been published for this vulnerability, significantly lowering the barrier to exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-37164 is improper control of code generation (Code Injection - CWE-94). The application fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before processing it in a context where code execution can occur. This allows attackers to craft malicious requests that inject executable code into the application's processing pipeline.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication, user interaction, or elevated privileges. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the HPE OneView web interface. The vulnerability allows for:

• Network accessibility: Attackers can reach the vulnerable component remotely
• No authentication required: The flaw can be exploited without valid credentials
• No user interaction needed: Exploitation is fully automated without victim involvement
• Complete system compromise: Successful exploitation leads to full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact

The existence of a Metasploit exploit module demonstrates that weaponized exploitation tools are publicly available.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-37164

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual outbound network connections from HPE OneView servers to unknown external IP addresses
• Unexpected child processes spawned by HPE OneView application components
• Anomalous HTTP request patterns targeting the OneView web interface with malformed or oversized payloads
• Unauthorized modifications to HPE OneView configuration files or system binaries
• Creation of new user accounts or privilege modifications on the OneView appliance

Detection Strategies

• Deploy network intrusion detection signatures specifically targeting exploitation patterns associated with CVE-2025-37164
• Monitor HPE OneView server logs for authentication anomalies and unexpected API calls
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block code injection attempts
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify post-exploitation behaviors on OneView systems

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on HPE OneView appliances and forward logs to a centralized SIEM solution
• Establish baseline network behavior for HPE OneView systems and alert on deviations
• Monitor for exploitation attempts using threat intelligence feeds that include CVE-2025-37164 indicators
• Conduct regular vulnerability scanning to identify unpatched HPE OneView instances

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-37164

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patch from HPE immediately as this vulnerability is actively exploited
• Restrict network access to HPE OneView management interfaces using firewall rules and network segmentation
• Review HPE OneView systems for signs of compromise before and after patching
• Ensure HPE OneView is not exposed to the internet or untrusted networks

Patch Information

HPE has released a security bulletin (HPESBGN04985) addressing this vulnerability. Administrators should consult the HPE Security Bulletin for detailed patching instructions and download links. Given the active exploitation status and inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog, organizations should treat patching as an emergency priority.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls to limit connectivity to HPE OneView management interfaces to trusted administrator workstations only
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of HPE OneView with rules to block code injection patterns
• Enable enhanced monitoring and alerting on HPE OneView systems while awaiting patch deployment
• Consider temporarily taking HPE OneView offline if the risk cannot be adequately mitigated through network controls

# Network segmentation example - restrict HPE OneView access
# Add firewall rules to limit access to management interface
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP