CVE-2025-49493: Akamai CloudTest XXE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49493 Overview

CVE-2025-49493 is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Akamai CloudTest. The flaw affects CloudTest versions prior to release 60 2025.06.02 (12988). Attackers can exploit the vulnerability to perform file inclusion attacks against vulnerable CloudTest instances. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.

Akamai CloudTest is a cloud-based performance and load testing platform used to validate web and mobile applications at scale. A public proof-of-concept exists on GitHub, increasing the likelihood of exploitation attempts.

Critical Impact
Remote unauthenticated attackers can submit crafted XML payloads to read local files and reach internal network resources from the CloudTest server.

Affected Products

Akamai CloudTest versions prior to 60 2025.06.02 (12988)
Deployments consuming CloudTest XML-based test definitions or configuration inputs
Environments integrating CloudTest with internal CI/CD pipelines

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-30 - CVE-2025-49493 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49493

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from an XML parser in Akamai CloudTest that processes external entity references without adequate restrictions. When CloudTest ingests attacker-controlled XML content, the parser resolves SYSTEM or PUBLIC external entities. This resolution allows the parser to fetch content from local files or remote URLs referenced in the entity declarations.

Exploitation grants read access to server-side content within the scope of the CloudTest process. The vulnerability scope changes according to CVSS, meaning impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component. The confidentiality impact is limited to low, and integrity and availability are unaffected. The EPSS score of 3.395% places this CVE in the 87th percentile for exploitation likelihood.

Root Cause

The root cause is an XML parser configured to resolve external entities by default. CloudTest failed to disable DOCTYPE declarations, external general entities, and external parameter entities. This misconfiguration violates secure XML processing guidance for CWE-611.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker submits a crafted XML document to a CloudTest endpoint that accepts XML input. The payload defines an external entity referencing a local file path such as file:///etc/passwd or an internal URL. When the parser expands the entity, its contents are returned in the response or reflected in downstream test artifacts. The scope-changed CVSS vector reflects the ability to reach resources beyond the immediate parser context.

No verified exploitation code is reproduced here. A proof-of-concept has been published at GitHub PoC for CVE-2025-49493. Refer to the Akamai CloudTest Changelog for the fix details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49493

Indicators of Compromise

Inbound HTTP requests to CloudTest endpoints containing <!DOCTYPE, <!ENTITY, or SYSTEM tokens in XML bodies
Outbound connections from CloudTest hosts to unexpected internal IP addresses or external attacker-controlled URLs
CloudTest process reads of sensitive files such as /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, or Windows configuration files outside normal test workflows
Anomalous DNS lookups originating from the CloudTest server referencing external entity hostnames

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect XML request bodies for DOCTYPE and external entity declarations
Correlate CloudTest application logs with file access and network telemetry to spot XXE-driven exfiltration patterns
Alert on CloudTest processes initiating connections to non-approved hosts, especially cloud metadata endpoints such as 169.254.169.254

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose XML parser logging on CloudTest and ship logs to a centralized analytics platform
Baseline outbound network traffic from CloudTest instances and alert on deviations
Monitor file system access on the CloudTest host for reads outside the application working directory

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49493

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Akamai CloudTest to release 60 2025.06.02 (12988) or later
Restrict network access to CloudTest management and API endpoints to trusted source ranges
Rotate any credentials, tokens, or secrets that may have been readable from the CloudTest host filesystem
Audit CloudTest logs for XML payloads containing external entity declarations since the platform was deployed

Patch Information

Akamai addressed the XXE vulnerability in CloudTest release 60 2025.06.02 (12988). The vendor documented the fix in the Akamai CloudTest Changelog. Customers running earlier versions should coordinate with Akamai support to schedule the upgrade.

Workarounds

Block XML request bodies containing DOCTYPE declarations at the WAF or reverse proxy layer until patching is complete
Restrict egress from CloudTest hosts to only required destinations to limit data exfiltration and SSRF pivoting
Remove or disable any CloudTest integrations that expose XML ingestion endpoints to untrusted networks

bash

# Example WAF rule concept to block external entity declarations in XML bodies
# ModSecurity example - validate before deploying in production
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Content-Type "@rx xml" \
    "id:1004949,phase:2,deny,status:400,\
    msg:'Potential XXE payload targeting CVE-2025-49493',\
    chain"
    SecRule REQUEST_BODY "@rx (?i)(<!DOCTYPE|<!ENTITY|SYSTEM\s+\"|PUBLIC\s+\")" \
        "t:none"