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March 14, 2025
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How to Fix CVE-2025-24989: Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in Microsoft Power Pages?
Microsoft Power Pages is susceptible to a privilege escalation vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-24989. This flaw could allow unauthorized attackers to elevate their privileges, potentially bypassing user registration controls. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 8.2, highlighting its severity. Security professionals must understand the implications and take immediate steps to mitigate this risk. This article delves into the specifics of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and practical steps to remediate it, ensuring the security and integrity of your Power Pages deployments. This article is geared towards security professionals in DevSecOps, application security, product security, vulnerability management, penetration testing, and security operations.
A Short Introduction to Microsoft Power Pages
Microsoft Power Pages is a low-code platform that allows users to build business websites that securely share data with internal or external users. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform suite. Power Pages enables organizations to create customized web experiences for various purposes, such as customer portals, partner portals, employee self-service sites, and community sites. The platform provides templates, visual designers, and integration capabilities to facilitate the rapid development and deployment of responsive, data-driven websites. Its features encompass authentication, role-based access control, and integration with other Microsoft services like Dynamics 365 and Power Automate.
Summary of CVE-2025-24989
CVE ID: CVE-2025-24989
Description: Improper access control vulnerability in Microsoft Power Pages that allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges by potentially bypassing user registration controls.
CVSS Score: 8.2 (High)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N
CVE-2025-24989 is an improper access control vulnerability that could allow an attacker to elevate their privileges over a network. The vulnerability arises due to a flaw in the user registration control mechanism of Power Pages, potentially allowing unauthorized users to circumvent intended security measures. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could gain unauthorized access to restricted areas, perform actions beyond their intended permissions, and compromise the security and integrity of the affected Power Pages deployments. Microsoft has already mitigated this vulnerability in the service and notified affected customers with cleanup instructions. You can find more details about CVE-2025-24989 here.
Impact of the Vulnerabilities
The successful exploitation of CVE-2025-24989 could have significant consequences for organizations utilizing Microsoft Power Pages. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, modify critical settings, or perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. This could lead to data breaches, financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory compliance violations. What is a vulnerability?
Specifically, the elevation of privileges could enable an attacker to access restricted areas of the Power Pages site, modify content, and alter user permissions. This level of access could be used to further compromise the system by installing malicious code, stealing sensitive data, or launching phishing attacks against other users. Given the potential severity of these impacts, it is crucial for organizations to promptly address this vulnerability and implement the necessary security measures to protect their Power Pages deployments.
Products Affected by the Vulnerabilities
The vulnerability affects the following product:
| Product | Version(s) Affected |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Power Pages | Specific versions prior to the patch released on 2025-02-19. Contact Microsoft support to confirm if you are affected. |
According to Microsoft, the vulnerability has been mitigated in the service, and affected customers have been notified. If you haven't received a notification, the vulnerability may not affect your Power Pages deployment. Cloud-based deployments are particularly less vulnerable because Microsoft directly manages the security. Microsoft's advisory details.
How to Check Your Product is Vulnerable?
To determine if your Power Pages instance is vulnerable, follow these steps:
Check for Notifications: Review your Microsoft communication channels for notifications related to CVE-2025-24989. Microsoft has directly notified affected customers, according to their advisory.
Review User Registration Controls: Examine the configuration of your Power Pages site's user registration controls. Look for any misconfigurations that could allow unauthorized users to bypass the intended registration process.
Monitor Network Activity: Keep an eye on network traffic related to your Power Pages site for any suspicious activity, such as unusual login attempts or unauthorized access to restricted areas. You can use SIEM for security.
Audit User Permissions: Conduct a thorough audit of user permissions and access controls to ensure that users only have the necessary privileges to perform their intended tasks.
Consult Microsoft Support: If you are unsure whether your Power Pages instance is vulnerable, contact Microsoft support for assistance. Provide them with details about your deployment and any relevant configuration information.
How to Fix the Vulnerabilities?
Microsoft has already released a patch on 2025-02-19 to address CVE-2025-24989. The primary remediation strategy is to apply this patch immediately. Here are the steps to fix this vulnerability:
Apply the Latest Patch: Ensure that your Power Pages environment has the latest security updates from Microsoft. This patch specifically addresses the registration control bypass vulnerability.
Review for Potential Exploitation: Carefully review your Power Pages sites for any signs of potential past exploitation. Look for unusual user accounts, unauthorized modifications to content, or suspicious activity in audit logs.
Follow Microsoft's Cleanup Instructions: If you were notified by Microsoft about potential exploitation, carefully follow the cleanup instructions provided in the notification.
Verify User Registration and Access Control Mechanisms: Double-check that your user registration and access control mechanisms are properly configured to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your Power Pages sites.
Monitor for Suspicious Network Activities: Continuously monitor your network for any suspicious activities related to Power Pages site access. This includes monitoring login attempts, access to restricted areas, and unusual data transfers. Understanding IOC is crucial.
Conduct a Thorough Audit of User Permissions and Access Controls: Regularly audit user permissions and access controls to ensure that they align with the principle of least privilege. Revoke any unnecessary permissions to minimize the potential impact of a successful attack.
Stay Informed: Monitor official Microsoft channels for any further security updates or guidance related to this vulnerability.
By implementing these steps, you can effectively remediate CVE-2025-24989 and protect your Power Pages deployments from potential exploitation. If a patch is not immediately available, consider implementing temporary measures to restrict access to sensitive resources and monitor for suspicious activity until the patch can be applied. For additional details, refer to NIST's CVE-2025-24989 entry.
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
