CVE-2025-41444: ManageEngine ADAudit Plus SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-41444 Overview

CVE-2025-41444 is an authenticated SQL injection vulnerability affecting Zohocorp ManageEngine ADAudit Plus versions 8510 and prior. The vulnerability exists within the alerts module of the application, allowing authenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL queries through the network. This flaw enables attackers with valid credentials to potentially extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or compromise the underlying database server.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to access, modify, or delete sensitive Active Directory audit data, potentially compromising the integrity of enterprise security monitoring and compliance records.

Affected Products

• Zohocorp ManageEngine ADAudit Plus version 8.5 (build 8510)
• Zohocorp ManageEngine ADAudit Plus version 8.5 (build 8500)
• Zohocorp ManageEngine ADAudit Plus all versions prior to 8510

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-09 - CVE-2025-41444 published to NVD
• 2025-06-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-41444

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The flaw resides in the alerts module of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into SQL queries.

The vulnerability requires authentication, meaning an attacker must first obtain valid credentials to the ADAudit Plus application. Once authenticated, the attacker can craft malicious input through the alerts module that gets directly concatenated or improperly parameterized into backend SQL queries. This allows the attacker to manipulate query logic, extract data from the database, or potentially execute administrative database operations.

Given the nature of ADAudit Plus as an Active Directory auditing solution, successful exploitation could expose sensitive security logs, user activity records, and compliance data that organizations rely on for security monitoring and regulatory requirements.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and improper sanitization of user-supplied data within the alerts module. The application fails to properly escape or parameterize user input before constructing SQL queries, allowing specially crafted input to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands. This is a classic SQL injection pattern where dynamic query construction without proper prepared statements or input validation leads to injection vulnerabilities.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2025-41444 is network-based, requiring low privileges (authenticated user access) with no user interaction necessary. An attacker who has obtained valid credentials to the ADAudit Plus application can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Authenticating to the ManageEngine ADAudit Plus web interface
2. Navigating to the alerts module functionality
3. Injecting malicious SQL payloads through vulnerable input parameters
4. Extracting sensitive data, modifying records, or escalating privileges within the database

The vulnerability allows for high confidentiality and integrity impact, meaning attackers can both read sensitive data and modify database contents. The availability impact is lower but still present, as database manipulation could affect application functionality.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-41444

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries originating from the ADAudit Plus application containing SQL syntax such as UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• Unexpected data extraction or bulk database reads from authenticated user sessions
• Error messages in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors or database exceptions
• Anomalous user behavior patterns within the alerts module, such as repeated requests with varying parameters

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in requests to the ADAudit Plus alerts module endpoints
• Enable detailed database query logging and monitor for suspicious query patterns including stacked queries, time-based blind injection attempts, and UNION-based extraction
• Implement application-level logging to capture all user actions within the alerts module and correlate with database activity
• Utilize SentinelOne Singularity XDR to detect anomalous process behavior and network communications from the ADAudit Plus server

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor ADAudit Plus application logs for authentication events followed by unusual alerts module activity
• Configure database auditing to alert on queries that return abnormally large result sets or access system tables
• Set up alerts for failed SQL query attempts that may indicate injection probing activity
• Review access logs for authenticated users accessing the alerts module with unusual frequency or timing patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-41444

Immediate Actions Required

• Update ManageEngine ADAudit Plus to the latest patched version immediately by following the vendor's upgrade procedures
• Audit all user accounts with access to ADAudit Plus and revoke unnecessary privileges
• Implement network segmentation to restrict access to the ADAudit Plus server to only authorized administrators
• Enable enhanced logging and monitoring on the ADAudit Plus server and associated database systems
• Review recent alerts module activity for signs of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Zohocorp has released a security update to address this vulnerability. Organizations running ManageEngine ADAudit Plus versions 8510 or earlier should upgrade to the latest available version as soon as possible. Detailed patch information and upgrade instructions are available in the ManageEngine CVE-2025-41444 Advisory.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to the ADAudit Plus application to trusted IP addresses and VPN-only access until patching can be completed
• Implement additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of credential compromise
• Deploy a web application firewall in front of ADAudit Plus with SQL injection detection rules enabled
• Temporarily disable or restrict access to the alerts module if it is not critical for operations until the patch is applied
• Review and minimize the database privileges granted to the ADAudit Plus application service account

# Example: Restrict network access to ADAudit Plus using firewall rules
# Allow access only from trusted administrator networks
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8081 -s 10.0.0.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8081 -j DROP