Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability lets a low-privileged remote user abuse path traversal in CODESYS runtime systems to read or change system files and potentially crash the device. For industrial systems, that means possible loss of control-plane integrity and availability. The provided sources do not confirm active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize this for environments using CODESYS in operational technology. The issue has high potential impact, but urgency depends on whether CODESYS services are reachable by low-privileged users and whether vendor guidance confirms affected versions in your estate.
Technical view
CVE-2018-25048 is a CWE-22 pathname limitation flaw in CODESYS runtime components. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 with network attack vector, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Exact affected-version status is incomplete in the supplied bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where CODESYS runtime, HMI, visualization, or toolkit components are deployed and reachable by authenticated low-privileged users over a network. The supplied affected list names multiple CODESYS products, but version applicability is ambiguous because entries also show defaultStatus as unaffected.
Exploitation context
The bundle states remote exploitation requires low privileges and no user interaction. It can allow access to and modification of system files and denial of service. There is no KEV listing and no supplied source claiming active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The key uncertainty is version applicability. The CVE description says multiple versions are affected, while the provided affected entries name products with version values but mark defaultStatus as unaffected. Treat the advisory as the authoritative source for version mapping and remediation specifics.
Mitigation direction
- Review CODESYS Advisory2018-04 for fixed versions and vendor-approved mitigations.
- Inventory all CODESYS runtime, HMI, visualization, and toolkit deployments.
- Restrict CODESYS runtime access to trusted management networks only.
- Remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts from affected runtime environments.
- Monitor vendor guidance before applying product-specific fixes.
Validation and detection
- Compare installed CODESYS products and versions against Advisory2018-04.
- Confirm runtime interfaces are not exposed to untrusted networks.
- Review device logs for unexpected file access, changes, or crashes.
- Validate least-privilege access for users allowed to reach CODESYS services.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-25048 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.