CVE-2025-54538
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in JetBrains TeamCity allows passwords to be exposed via command line arguments when using the 'hg pull' command. Attackers with access to process listings could potentially capture credentials. This affects all TeamCity administrators and users who utilize Mercurial repositories with the vulnerable versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- JetBrains TeamCity
📦 What is this software?
Teamcity by Jetbrains
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could capture administrator credentials, potentially gaining full control over the TeamCity instance and access to source code repositories.
Likely Case
Local users or attackers with some system access could capture passwords from process listings, leading to credential theft and potential lateral movement.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, exposure would be limited to authorized users only, reducing the risk of credential theft.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to view process command lines on the TeamCity server, typically requiring some level of system access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2025.07 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.jetbrains.com/privacy-security/issues-fixed/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your TeamCity instance. 2. Download TeamCity 2025.07 or later from the JetBrains website. 3. Follow the TeamCity upgrade documentation for your installation type. 4. Restart TeamCity services after upgrade.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Mercurial Repository Usage
allTemporarily disable or remove Mercurial repositories from TeamCity configurations
Navigate to TeamCity Administration > VCS Roots > Edit affected Mercurial roots > Disable or remove
Use SSH Authentication
allSwitch Mercurial repositories from password authentication to SSH key authentication
Configure Mercurial repositories to use SSH keys instead of passwords in VCS root settings
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to TeamCity servers to authorized administrators only
- Implement strict process monitoring and alerting for command line exposure
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check TeamCity version in Administration > Server Administration > Server Health > VersionCheck Version:
On TeamCity server: cat /opt/teamcity/version.txt or check web interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 2025.07 or later and test Mercurial repository operations📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts for Mercurial repositories
- Unusual process listings showing command line arguments
Network Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to Mercurial repositories
SIEM Query:
Process execution events containing 'hg pull' with password arguments