CVE-2025-65791
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-65791 is a critical command injection vulnerability in ZoneMinder's image.php component that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the server. This affects all ZoneMinder installations running vulnerable versions, potentially compromising the entire system. Attackers can exploit this remotely without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- ZoneMinder
📦 What is this software?
Zoneminder by Zoneminder
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, lateral movement to other systems, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to web server compromise, surveillance system disruption, and credential harvesting from the ZoneMinder environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, web application firewalls, and input validation are implemented, though risk remains elevated.
🎯 Exploit Status
The GitHub reference contains proof-of-concept code demonstrating exploitation. The vulnerability requires minimal technical skill to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check ZoneMinder GitHub releases for patched version > v1.36.34
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/ZoneMinder/zoneminder/security/advisories
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup ZoneMinder configuration and database. 2. Update ZoneMinder to the latest patched version via package manager or source. 3. Restart ZoneMinder service and web server. 4. Verify the fix by testing the vulnerable endpoint.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
linuxAdd input validation to sanitize user input before passing to exec() function
Modify web/views/image.php to validate and sanitize all user inputs using escapeshellarg() or similar functions
Web Application Firewall
allDeploy WAF rules to block command injection patterns
Add WAF rules to detect and block patterns like ;, |, &, $, (, ) in image.php parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict network access to ZoneMinder web interface using firewall rules to only trusted IP addresses
- Run ZoneMinder in a containerized environment with minimal privileges and network isolation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if ZoneMinder version is v1.36.34 or earlier and examine web/views/image.php for unsanitized exec() callsCheck Version:
zmdc.pl version or check /usr/share/zoneminder/www/includes/version.phpVerify Fix Applied:
Test the vulnerable endpoint with command injection payloads and verify they are blocked or sanitized📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual exec() commands in web server logs
- Suspicious parameters in image.php requests
- Unexpected system commands from web user
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to image.php with command injection patterns
- Outbound connections from ZoneMinder server to unexpected destinations
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND uri="*image.php*" AND (param="*;*" OR param="*|*" OR param="*&*" OR param="*$(*")