CVE-2025-10640
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-10640 is a critical-severity Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security (CWE-602) vulnerability in Sec Consult (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 44% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-25 (Reference Monitor) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-10640 affects the WorkExaminer server, specifically the Professional console used for administrative access, which listens on TCP port 12306. The vulnerability stems from missing server-side authentication checks, where a custom protocol calls a stored procedure on the MSSQL database, but the return value is validated only on the client side. This client-side enforcement (CWE-602) allows attackers to bypass the login prompt entirely. The issue was published on 2025-10-21 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
An unauthenticated attacker with network access to TCP port 12306 can exploit this flaw remotely with low complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation grants full administrative access to the WorkExaminer server, exposing all sensitive monitoring data, including screenshots and keystrokes captured from monitored users.
For details on mitigation, patches, or workarounds, refer to the advisories from SEC Consult at https://r.sec-consult.com/workexaminer and the Full Disclosure mailing list posting at http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Oct/19.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-35159
Vulnerability Data
An unauthenticated attacker with access to TCP port 12306 of the WorkExaminer server can exploit missing server-side authentication checks to bypass the login prompt in the WorkExaminer Professional console to gain administrative access to the WorkExaminer server and therefore all…
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sensitive monitoring data. This includes monitored screenshots and keystrokes of all users. The WorkExaminer Professional console is used for administrative access to the server. Before access to the console is granted administrators must login. Internally, a custom protocol is used to call a respective stored procedure on the MSSQL database. The return value of the call is not validated on the server-side. Instead it is only validated client-side which allows to bypass authentication.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V10.7.1V2.2.2V8.3.1V10.4.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires a tamper-proof, always-invoked reference monitor that cannot be bypassed by client-side logic.
Enforces all access decisions on the server according to policy rather than trusting client-supplied enforcement.
Enforces information-flow rules at the server boundary instead of delegating them to the client.
Monitors and controls all external and key internal interfaces so that server-side policy cannot be off-loaded to clients.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure architecture principles discourage client-side trust but do not directly address this weakness.
Security testing can detect client-side enforcement but is not the primary mitigation.
Information access restriction is undermined when the client is trusted to enforce it.
Secure development lifecycle mandates server-side validation and prevents reliance on client enforcement.
Application security requirements explicitly call for server-side enforcement of security mechanisms.
Secure coding standards require server-side checks and reject client-only enforcement.