Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the pfSense CE Suricata package. An already-authenticated user with Suricata package privileges can save a crafted policy name that is later displayed without proper HTML sanitization. Business impact is mainly admin-console trust, session integrity, and configuration workflow risk, not direct firewall bypass.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority administrative interface flaw. Prioritize internet-managed or shared-admin pfSense environments, and combine patching with access review. It is less urgent than unauthenticated firewall compromise, but stored XSS inside firewall administration can still support credential or configuration abuse.
Technical view
CVE-2025-34178 affects pfSense CE Suricata package version 7.0.8_2 in /suricata/suricata_app_parsers.php. The policy_name parameter is stored and rendered without sanitizing HTML-related characters, causing CWE-79 stored XSS. CVSS v4.0 is 5.1 with network access, low complexity, low privileges, and user interaction required.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to pfSense CE systems running the Suricata package version 7.0.8_2, especially where non-administrator accounts hold "WebCfg - Services: suricata package" permissions. Systems without that package or version are not identified as affected in the bundle.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires authentication and relevant Suricata web configuration permissions, plus a later user viewing affected content. The issue is meaningful in shared administration environments but is not described as remotely exploitable without credentials.
Researcher notes
Key facts are source-grounded: affected product is Netgate pfSense CE Suricata package 7.0.8_2, weakness is CWE-79, CVSS v4.0 score is 5.1, and privilege requirement is Suricata WebCfg access. The bundle includes a patch commit, but does not name a fixed package version.
Mitigation direction
- Update the pfSense CE Suricata package to a build containing the referenced patch.
- If no fixed package is visible, follow Netgate or pfSense Redmine guidance before changing production systems.
- Restrict Suricata package permissions to trusted administrators only.
- Review existing Suricata policy names for unexpected or suspicious content.
- Monitor pfSense package advisories for fixed-version confirmation.
Validation and detection
- Inventory pfSense CE systems with the Suricata package installed.
- Confirm whether installed Suricata package version is 7.0.8_2.
- Check that Suricata policy names are HTML-escaped after patching.
- Review pfSense user roles for Suricata package permissions.
- Review administrative logs for unexpected Suricata policy changes.
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-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-2025-34178 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
- 5.1 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA: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.
SSVC decision data
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:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
5.1MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/pfsense/FreeBSD-ports/commit/97852ccfd201b24ee542be30af81272485fde0b4CVE reference, VulnCheck · patch
- https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/16414CVE reference, VulnCheck · issue-tracking
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/netgate-pf-sense-ce-suricata-package-stored-xssCVE reference, VulnCheck · 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.