Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-25398 affects IPFire 2.21 Core Update 127. It lets an attacker place malicious JavaScript into OpenVPN configuration fields, which can run in an administrator’s browser. The business risk is account/session abuse or unauthorized changes if an administrator views or processes the poisoned data.
Executive priority
Treat as a timely remediation item for affected IPFire firewalls, not an emergency absent evidence of active exploitation. Prioritize systems with exposed administration interfaces or high-value VPN administration workflows.
Technical view
The issue is multiple CWE-79 cross-site scripting flaws in ovpnmain.cgi. Reported vulnerable POST parameters include VPN_IP, DMTU, ccdname, ccdsubnet, DOVPN_SUBNET, DHCP_DOMAIN, DHCP_DNS, DHCP_WINS, ROUTES_PUSH, FRAGMENT, KEEPALIVE_1, and KEEPALIVE_2. CVSS 3.1 is 6.1: network reachable, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, changed scope.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations running IPFire 2.21 Core Update 127, especially where the administrative interface or OpenVPN configuration workflow is reachable by untrusted users or networks.
Exploitation context
A public Exploit-DB entry exists, so proof-of-concept information is public. The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Successful abuse requires an administrator’s browser to execute attacker-supplied script content.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for IPFire 2.21 Core Update 127 and ovpnmain.cgi parameter handling. The sources identify public exploit availability but do not name a fixed version in the supplied bundle. Avoid assuming broader IPFire version impact without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory IPFire systems and identify any running 2.21 Core Update 127.
- Check IPFire vendor guidance for the appropriate supported update or remediation.
- Restrict IPFire administrative interface access to trusted management networks and administrators.
- Review administrator accounts and sessions if suspicious OpenVPN configuration changes are found.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the installed IPFire version and Core Update level.
- Review whether ovpnmain.cgi is reachable from untrusted networks.
- Inspect logs for suspicious POST requests to ovpnmain.cgi with script-like input.
- Verify OpenVPN configuration fields do not contain unexpected script content.
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-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. 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 lookupCVE-2019-25398 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-46344CVE reference · exploit
- IPFire Official WebsiteCVE reference · product
- IPFire 2.21 Core Update 127 DownloadCVE reference · patch
- VulnCheck Advisory: IPFire 2.21 Core Update 127 Cross-Site Scripting via ovpnmain.cgiCVE reference · third-party-advisory
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 Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.