CVE-2025-5353: Ivanti Workspace Control Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-5353 Overview

A hardcoded cryptographic key vulnerability has been identified in Ivanti Workspace Control prior to version 10.19.10.0. This security flaw enables a local authenticated attacker to decrypt stored SQL credentials, potentially leading to unauthorized database access and further compromise of connected systems. The vulnerability stems from improper key management practices (CWE-321: Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key), where encryption keys are embedded directly in the application code or configuration.

Critical Impact

Local attackers with authenticated access can leverage this hardcoded key to decrypt sensitive SQL database credentials, enabling unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the enterprise environment.

Affected Products

• Ivanti Workspace Control versions prior to 10.19.10.0
• Enterprise deployments utilizing SQL database connections with Workspace Control
• Organizations using Ivanti Workspace Control for application and desktop management

Discovery Timeline

• June 10, 2025 - CVE-2025-5353 published to NVD
• July 10, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-5353

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a significant cryptographic weakness in Ivanti Workspace Control's credential storage mechanism. The application uses a hardcoded encryption key to protect SQL database credentials, which fundamentally undermines the confidentiality of these sensitive credentials. Once an attacker identifies the hardcoded key—which remains constant across all installations of the affected version—they can decrypt any stored SQL credentials within any deployment of the vulnerable software.

The attack requires local access with authenticated user privileges, meaning an insider threat or an attacker who has already gained initial foothold on a system can exploit this vulnerability. While this limits the attack surface to local scenarios, the impact is substantial given that SQL credentials often provide access to critical business databases containing sensitive organizational data.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-5353 is the use of a hardcoded cryptographic key for encrypting SQL credentials within Ivanti Workspace Control. This represents a violation of secure cryptographic practices, where encryption keys should be uniquely generated, securely stored, and properly managed throughout their lifecycle. Hardcoded keys provide a false sense of security—the encryption exists but offers minimal protection since the key material is accessible to anyone who can analyze the application binaries or configuration files.

The CWE-321 classification (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key) indicates that the developers embedded the encryption key directly into the application, making it discoverable through reverse engineering, memory analysis, or examination of application files.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have authenticated access to a system where Ivanti Workspace Control is installed. From this position, an attacker would:

1. Locate the stored encrypted SQL credentials within the application's configuration or database
2. Extract or reverse-engineer the hardcoded encryption key from the application binaries
3. Use the key to decrypt the stored SQL credentials
4. Leverage the decrypted credentials to access SQL databases with potentially elevated privileges

The vulnerability allows for high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability once the attacker obtains valid database credentials, as they can read sensitive data, modify records, or disrupt database operations.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-5353

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to Ivanti Workspace Control configuration files or encrypted credential stores
• Unexpected read operations on application binaries that could indicate reverse engineering attempts
• Anomalous SQL database login attempts using service accounts associated with Workspace Control
• Evidence of credential extraction tools or memory analysis utilities on systems with Workspace Control installed

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for suspicious file access patterns targeting Ivanti Workspace Control installation directories
• Implement behavioral analytics to detect abnormal database authentication patterns from Workspace Control service accounts
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify reverse engineering tools or debuggers being used against Workspace Control binaries
• Audit SQL Server login events for authentication attempts from unexpected sources using Workspace Control credentials

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for Ivanti Workspace Control and correlate with SQL Server authentication logs
• Implement file integrity monitoring on Workspace Control configuration files and credential stores
• Monitor for lateral movement patterns following potential credential theft
• Deploy SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect post-exploitation activities associated with credential abuse

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-5353

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Ivanti Workspace Control to version 10.19.10.0 or later immediately
• Rotate all SQL credentials used by Ivanti Workspace Control after upgrading
• Review SQL database access logs for any unauthorized access using Workspace Control credentials
• Implement additional monitoring on systems with Workspace Control installations until patching is complete

Patch Information

Ivanti has addressed this vulnerability in Workspace Control version 10.19.10.0. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to this version to eliminate the hardcoded key vulnerability. For detailed patch information and upgrade guidance, refer to the Ivanti Security Advisory.

After applying the patch, it is critical to rotate all SQL database credentials that were previously stored using the vulnerable encryption mechanism, as these credentials should be considered potentially compromised.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, restrict local access to systems running Ivanti Workspace Control to only essential personnel
• Implement network segmentation to limit database access from Workspace Control hosts
• Enable SQL Server audit logging to detect unauthorized credential usage
• Consider temporarily using alternative authentication mechanisms for database connections until the patch can be applied
• Deploy additional endpoint monitoring on affected systems to detect potential exploitation attempts

# SQL Server audit configuration example for monitoring Workspace Control credential usage
# Enable SQL Server login auditing to detect suspicious authentication attempts

# PowerShell: Check current audit settings
Get-SqlInstance -ServerInstance "YourSQLServer" | Get-SqlAudit

# Enable login auditing via T-SQL
# EXEC sp_configure 'login auditing', 2
# RECONFIGURE