A security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-25711, has been discovered in the popular airport management software - dtp.ae tNexus Airport View v.2.8. This critical security issue allows remote attackers to escalate their privileges via the ProfileID value to the /tnexus/rest/admin/updateUser API endpoint. If exploited successfully, this vulnerability gives an attacker unauthorized control over a compromised system, enabling them to access sensitive information or perform malicious actions.

In this post, we’ll take an in-depth look at CVE-2025-25711, discuss how it works, and demonstrate a code snippet illustrating the exploit. We'll also include original references and provide additional information on how to mitigate this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability lies within the /tnexus/rest/admin/updateUser API endpoint, allowing a malicious user to escalate their privileges by manipulating the ProfileID value. The application fails to properly validate and manage user privileges, enabling bad actors to potentially assume the roles of other users, such as administrators, and gain unauthorized access to restricted resources.

The following code snippet illustrates this exploit

POST /tnexus/rest/admin/updateUser HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-web-server.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
  "userID": 1,
  "username": "attacker",
  "password": "mypassword",
  "ProfileID": 1001 // This is the value for the administrator privileges
}

In the above example, userID, username, and password represent legitimate user credentials, while ProfileID is set to 1001, which corresponds to the administrator role. By submitting a request with this malicious payload, an attacker can easily elevate their access level to that of an administrator.

For more information about this vulnerability, please refer to the following sources

1. CVE-2025-25711 - National Vulnerability Database Entry
2. dtp.ae tNexus Airport View v.2.8 - Product Page
3. API Vulnerabilities and Best Practices

Mitigating the Vulnerability

To protect against this vulnerability, dtp.ae should release a patch that addresses the improper validation of user privileges, thus preventing attackers from leveraging the ProfileID value to escalate their access level. In the meantime, we recommend the following steps to mitigate the risk:

1. Implement proper access control and validation checks on the server to ensure that only appropriate requests are accepted and executed.
2. Maintain a secure and up-to-date software environment on the server and workstations to minimize potential security gaps.
3. Restrict access to sensitive API endpoints to authorized users and IP addresses only. Utilize strong authentication and authorization mechanisms.
4. Educate staff on cybersecurity best practices and implement a security awareness program to help them identify and respond to potential threats.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-25711 is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in the dtp.ae tNexus Airport View v.2.8 application. By exploiting this vulnerability, attackers can elevate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to restricted resources, thereby posing a massive risk to the affected organization. It is imperative that system administrators and cybersecurity professionals take necessary measures to mitigate this vulnerability and ensure the security of their systems and data.

Stay informed about other emerging security issues by following reputable sources, such as the National Vulnerability Database and security blogs. Remember, prevention is always better than cure.

Timeline

Published on: 03/12/2025 16:15:23 UTC