EUVD-2025-21091
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
Lifecycle Timeline
3Tags
Description
Emerson ValveLink Products store sensitive information in cleartext in memory. The sensitive memory might be saved to disk, stored in a core dump, or remain uncleared if the product crashes, or if the programmer does not properly clear the memory before freeing it.
Analysis
CVE-2025-52579 is a cleartext sensitive data storage vulnerability in Emerson ValveLink Products where cryptographic keys, credentials, or other sensitive information are retained unencrypted in process memory. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this over the network with low complexity to extract sensitive data from memory dumps, core files, or crashed processes, potentially gaining unauthorized access to critical industrial control systems. The CVSS score of 9.4 reflects high confidentiality and integrity impact; however, KEV status, EPSS probability, and active exploitation data are not available in the provided sources, requiring real-time CISA monitoring for confirmation.
Technical Context
The vulnerability stems from CWE-316 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory), a memory safety and data protection deficiency common in legacy industrial software. Emerson ValveLink Products likely fail to implement secure memory handling practices such as: (1) encrypting sensitive data at rest in memory, (2) zeroing/wiping memory regions containing sensitive material before deallocation or process termination, (3) protecting against core dumps via ulimit restrictions, or (4) preventing debugger attachment. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N indicates the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, suggesting an attacker can trigger process crashes, memory leaks, or access process memory through local or remote forensic techniques. Specific CPE strings for affected ValveLink versions were not provided in the source data; however, Emerson's product line (CPE vendor:emerson) spanning multiple versions likely requires enumeration against Emerson's official security advisories.
Affected Products
Emerson ValveLink Products (all versions prior to patched release). Specific affected CPE identifiers require correlation with Emerson's official CVE advisory; the generic CPE likely includes: cpe:2.3:a:emerson:valvelink:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (all versions). Emerson has not publicly released detailed version information in the provided source data. Immediate action: Check Emerson Process Management security advisories at https://www.emerson.com/en-us/resource-center/news-releases and cross-reference ValveLink version installed in your environment. Affected configurations include any networked deployment where ValveLink processes handle credentials, API keys, or cryptographic material.
Remediation
**Immediate actions:** (1) Check Emerson's security portal and CVE-2025-52579 vendor advisory for specific patch versions (likely ValveLink 5.x.x or higher with date of patch TBD based on advisory release). (2) Apply available patches immediately to all ValveLink instances in production; (3) Implement process memory protection: enable core dump restrictions (ulimit -c 0 on Linux/Unix), disable debugger attachment where possible. **Short-term mitigations (if patching is delayed):** (1) Isolate ValveLink instances to secure network segments with strict ingress/egress controls; (2) monitor process behavior and memory access using EDR tools; (3) rotate all credentials and keys potentially stored by ValveLink; (4) implement memory encryption at the OS level if supported. **Long-term:** Upgrade to patched Emerson ValveLink version (version number to be confirmed via Emerson advisory) and review application architecture to minimize sensitive data retention in memory.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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