CVE-2025-52579
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2025-52579 is a critical-severity Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory (CWE-316) vulnerability in Emerson ValveLink Products (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 9.3 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked at the 30th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SC-39 (Process Isolation) — 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-2025-52579 is a vulnerability in Emerson ValveLink Products that involves the storage of sensitive information in cleartext within memory. This sensitive memory content may be persisted to disk, captured in a core dump, or left uncleared during product crashes or improper memory freeing by programmers. The issue, published on 2025-07-11, carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.4 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L) and maps to CWE-316 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information).
Remote attackers require no privileges or user interaction to exploit the vulnerability over the network with low complexity. Exploitation can result in high confidentiality and integrity impacts—such as unauthorized disclosure or alteration of sensitive data—alongside low availability disruption, typically through access to memory dumps, disk saves, or residual uncleared memory.
Mitigation guidance is available in official advisories, including the CISA ICSA-25-189-01 at https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-25-189-01, Emerson security notifications at https://www.emerson.com/en-us/support/security-notifications, and software downloads at https://www.emerson.com/en-us/support/software-downloads-drivers.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-21091
Vulnerability Data
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…
more
before freeing it.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Access enforcement limits which subjects can read memory locations holding the cleartext data.
Process isolation confines the cleartext data to its own execution domain, shrinking exposure.
Prevents unintended transfer of the cleartext contents through shared memory resources.
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.
Explicitly calls for removing confidential data from process memory, directly mitigating cleartext storage.
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.
Security testing can detect cleartext secrets in memory dumps or debug output.
Secure deletion practices reduce residual cleartext after use, but do not prevent initial storage.
DLP tooling can monitor and block processes that leave sensitive data unencrypted in memory.
Cryptographic controls can mandate encryption of sensitive data in memory, directly reducing cleartext exposure.
Secure-SDLC processes include memory-handling reviews that catch this weakness.
Secure-coding standards explicitly require avoiding plaintext storage of secrets in RAM.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271730 OL 9 must disable storing core dumps. prevents CWE-316