CVE-2025-2749
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated users of Kentico Xperience's Staging Sync Server to upload arbitrary files to path-relative locations via path traversal. Attackers can upload executable content leading to remote code execution on the server. It affects Kentico Xperience CMS installations through version 13.0.178.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kentico Xperience CMS
📦 What is this software?
Xperience by Kentico
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full server compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, steal data, deploy ransomware, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized file upload leading to web shell deployment, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper authentication controls and file upload restrictions are in place, though path traversal could still allow unauthorized file access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but path traversal and file upload mechanisms are well-understood attack vectors.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 13.0.179 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://devnet.kentico.com/download/hotfixes
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download the hotfix from Kentico DevNet. 2. Apply the hotfix to your Kentico Xperience installation. 3. Verify the patch was applied successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Staging Sync Server Access
allLimit access to Staging Sync Server functionality to only trusted administrators using network segmentation or access controls.
Implement File Upload Validation
allAdd server-side validation to restrict file uploads to specific extensions and prevent path traversal attempts.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Kentico servers from critical systems.
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal and malicious file upload patterns.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Kentico Xperience version in administration panel or via file system inspection of assembly versions.Check Version:
Check Administration -> System -> About in Kentico admin interface or inspect Kentico.Libraries.dll version.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 13.0.179 or later and test file upload functionality with path traversal attempts.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file upload activity in Staging Sync Server logs
- Path traversal patterns in request logs (e.g., '../' sequences)
- Execution of unexpected files from upload directories
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences to upload endpoints
- Unusual outbound connections from Kentico server following uploads
SIEM Query:
source="kentico_logs" AND (event="file_upload" OR url="*staging*" OR message="*../*")