# CVE-2025-36857: Rapid7 Appspider Broken Access Control Vulnerability

> Standard users can override configuration settings by placing files in shared directories, potentially escalating privileges or modifying application behavior.

- **Severity:** Low 3.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 25 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2q6q-r7wh-h8q5

## What is CVE-2025-36857?

CVE-2025-36857 is a low-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Rapid7 Appspider Pro, published on 25 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Rapid7 Appspider Pro versions below 7.5.021, suffer from a broken access control vulnerability in the application's configuration file loading mechanism, whereby an attacker can place files in directories belonging to other users or projects. Affected versions allow standard users to add custom configuration files. These files, which are loaded in alphabetical order, can override or change the settings of the original configuration files, creating a security vulnerability. This issue stems from improper directory access management.

This vulnerability was remediated in version 7.5.021 of the product.

Weakness: CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-36857?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Rapid7 Appspider Pro.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-36857?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-36857 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-36857 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36857 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Rapid7 Appspider Pro

- [CVE-2017-5236](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5236/): Other in AppSpider Pro (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-5233](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5233/): Other in AppSpider Pro (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-5240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5240/): Memory corruption in AppSpider Pro (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2025-4951](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4951/): Cross-site scripting in AppSpider Pro (medium 4.6)
- [CVE-2025-11195](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-11195/): Rapid7 AppSpider Project Name Validation Bypass (low 3.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-36857 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-36857 is a low-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Rapid7 Appspider Pro, published on 25 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36857 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Rapid7 Appspider Pro. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36857/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36857/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-36857
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-36857
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-36857

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36857/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.