CVE-2025-41268: Waterfall WF-500 Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2025-41268 Overview

CVE-2025-41268 is a relative path traversal vulnerability [CWE-23] in the Administration WebUI of Waterfall WF-500 TX and RX Hosts running firmware version 7.9.1.0 R2502171040. Nozomi Networks Labs identified the flaw, which allows remote unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files on the affected Host machines. The Waterfall WF-500 is a unidirectional security gateway deployed in industrial control system (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments to enforce one-way data transfer between segmented networks. Exploitation requires no authentication and can be performed over the network, making the issue accessible to any attacker with reachability to the management interface.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can delete arbitrary files on Waterfall WF-500 TX and RX Host machines, disrupting unidirectional gateway operations in OT environments.

Affected Products

Waterfall WF-500 TX Host firmware version 7.9.1.0 R2502171040
Waterfall WF-500 RX Host firmware version 7.9.1.0 R2502171040
Waterfall WF-500 hardware appliance running the affected firmware

Discovery Timeline

Vulnerability discovered and reported by Nozomi Networks Labs
2026-05-29 - CVE-2025-41268 published to NVD
2026-06-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-41268

Vulnerability Analysis

The Administration WebUI exposed by the Waterfall WF-500 TX and RX Hosts does not properly normalize or constrain user-supplied path components before performing file deletion operations. An attacker can submit crafted requests containing relative path sequences such as ../ to escape the intended working directory and reference files located elsewhere on the underlying file system. Because the affected functionality is reachable without authentication, exploitation does not require credentials, valid sessions, or user interaction.

Deletion of arbitrary files on a unidirectional gateway can remove configuration, log, or binary artifacts required for normal operation. In OT contexts, this directly affects the integrity and availability of the data diode enforcing network segmentation between IT and ICS zones. Additional technical details are available in the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper sanitization of file path inputs handled by the Administration WebUI [CWE-23]. The application accepts a file path parameter and concatenates or resolves it without enforcing a canonical base directory, allowing traversal characters to redirect file operations outside the intended scope.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploited remotely over the network against the Administration WebUI. An attacker sends an HTTP request to the vulnerable file-handling endpoint containing relative path sequences that resolve to a target file outside the intended directory. Because authentication is not required, any host with network access to the management interface can issue the request and trigger arbitrary file deletion.

No verified public exploit code or proof-of-concept is currently available. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose because no validated exploitation artifacts have been published.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-41268

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to the WF-500 Administration WebUI containing relative path sequences such as ../, ..%2f, or URL-encoded traversal patterns in path or query parameters.
Unexpected file deletions on the WF-500 TX or RX Host file system, particularly in directories outside the WebUI's expected working path.
Loss or truncation of WF-500 application logs, configuration files, or runtime binaries without corresponding administrative action.

Detection Strategies

Inspect WebUI access logs for traversal sequences and for requests issued from unauthenticated sessions to file-handling endpoints.
Compare baseline file inventories of the WF-500 Host against current state to identify missing files indicative of arbitrary deletion.
Apply network IDS signatures that flag path traversal patterns in HTTP traffic destined for the WF-500 management interface.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward WF-500 management interface logs to a centralized SIEM or data lake for correlation with network telemetry.
Alert on any HTTP request to the Administration WebUI that originates from a network segment not explicitly authorized for management traffic.
Monitor process and service restarts on the WF-500 appliance, which may indicate that critical files were deleted and the system attempted recovery.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-41268

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the WF-500 Administration WebUI to a dedicated management VLAN reachable only by authorized administrative hosts.
Apply firmware updates provided by Waterfall Security Solutions for the WF-500 TX and RX Hosts once available.
Audit the file systems of WF-500 appliances running firmware 7.9.1.0 R2502171040 for missing files and validate configuration integrity.

Patch Information

Consult the Nozomi Networks Vulnerability Advisory and Waterfall Security Solutions for the fixed firmware version addressing CVE-2025-41268. Replace firmware 7.9.1.0 R2502171040 with the vendor-supplied corrected build on both TX and RX Hosts.

Workarounds

Block external network access to the Administration WebUI using upstream firewall rules until the patch is deployed.
Place the WF-500 management interface behind a jump host or bastion that enforces authentication and source IP allow-listing.
Enable network-level monitoring on the management segment to detect and block HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences.

bash

# Configuration example - restrict access to WF-500 management interface
# Replace <mgmt_admin_subnet> and <wf500_mgmt_ip> with environment values
iptables -A FORWARD -s <mgmt_admin_subnet> -d <wf500_mgmt_ip> -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -d <wf500_mgmt_ip> -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP