CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-10640NVD status: Deferred

WorkExaminer Professional: Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security

CVE-2025-10640 is a critical-severity client-side enforcement of server-side security vulnerability in WorkExaminer Professional from EfficientLab, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected WorkExaminer Professional versions: <= 4.0.0.52001. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.9% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 60% of scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of WorkExaminer Professional you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
EfficientLabWorkExaminer Professional<= 4.0.0.52001Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CISA (ADP).

Official description

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 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.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security

The product includes a server that relies on the client to implement a protection mechanism that is intended to protect the server.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • If some degree of trust is required between the two entities, then use integrity checking and strong authentication to ensure that the inputs are coming from a trusted source. Design the product so that this trust is managed in a centralized fashion, especially if there are complex or numerous communication channels, in order to reduce the risks that the implementer will mistakenly omit a check in a single code path.

More Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security vulnerabilities (CWE-602)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in WorkExaminer Professional

All WorkExaminer Professional vulnerabilities

Recent Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security vulnerabilities

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