CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-14561NVD status: Deferred

WSO2 API Manager: Improper Access Control

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-14561 is a critical-severity improper access control vulnerability in WSO2 API Manager from WSO2, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.0 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 4.1.0.242, 4.2.0.182, 4.3.0.93 as the first without the flaw, so updating WSO2 API Manager to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.41% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Update WSO2 API Manager to 4.1.0.242 or 4.2.0.182 or 4.3.0.93 or 4.4.0.57, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update WSO2 API Control Plane to 4.5.0.42 or 4.6.0.7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Update WSO2 Traffic Manager to 4.5.0.40 or 4.6.0.6, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  4. Read the advisory on security.docs.wso2.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
WSO2WSO2 API Manager4.1.0 up to, but not including, 4.1.0.242; 4.2.0 up to, but not including, 4.2.0.182; 4.3.0 up to, but not including, 4.3.0.93; 4.4.0 up to, but not including, 4.4.0.57; 4.5.0 up to, but not including, 4.5.0.41; 4.6.0 up to, but not including, 4.6.0.64.1.0.242, 4.2.0.182, 4.3.0.93, 4.4.0.57, 4.5.0.41, 4.6.0.6
WSO2WSO2 API Control Plane4.5.0 up to, but not including, 4.5.0.42; 4.6.0 up to, but not including, 4.6.0.74.5.0.42, 4.6.0.7
WSO2WSO2 Traffic Manager4.5.0 up to, but not including, 4.5.0.40; 4.6.0 up to, but not including, 4.6.0.64.5.0.40, 4.6.0.6
WSO2WSO2 Universal Gateway4.5.0 up to, but not including, 4.5.0.40; 4.6.0 up to, but not including, 4.6.0.64.5.0.40, 4.6.0.6
WSO2WSO2 Carbon API Management Implementation9.20.74 up to, but not including, 9.20.74.388; 9.28.116 up to, but not including, 9.28.116.395; 9.29.120 up to, but not including, 9.29.120.213; 9.30.67 up to, but not including, 9.30.67.135; 9.31.86 up to, but not including, 9.31.86.108; 9.32.147 up to, but not including, 9.32.147.59.20.74.388, 9.28.116.395, 9.29.120.213, 9.30.67.135, 9.31.86.108, 9.32.147.5
WSO2WSO2 Carbon API Manager Rest API Utility9.20.74 up to, but not including, 9.20.74.388; 9.28.116 up to, but not including, 9.28.116.395; 9.29.120 up to, but not including, 9.29.120.213; 9.30.67 up to, but not including, 9.30.67.135; 9.31.86 up to, but not including, 9.31.86.108; 9.32.147 up to, but not including, 9.32.147.59.20.74.388, 9.28.116.395, 9.29.120.213, 9.30.67.135, 9.31.86.108, 9.32.147.5

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
HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
LowPerformance or availability is reduced.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L. Scored by CNA.

Official description

In multi-tenant deployments, the Publisher REST APIs fail to enforce tenant isolation correctly. This allows a user in one tenant, possessing sufficient privileges to invoke these APIs, to perform operations that impact other tenants. The vulnerability allows a privileged user to perform publisher operations such as exposing or modifying API Metadata in another tenant environment. This impact is only realized in multi-tenant deployments.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Access Control

The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.

More Improper Access Control vulnerabilities (CWE-284)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in WSO2 API Manager

All WSO2 API Manager vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Access Control vulnerabilities

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