# CVE-2025-4235: User-ID Credential Agent: Cleartext Exposure of Service Account password

> Unprivileged users can expose service account passwords in specific configurations, enabling privilege escalation and network security policy bypass.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/AU:N/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber`)
- **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:** 12 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x6h5-43x9-rq83

## What is CVE-2025-4235?

CVE-2025-4235 is a high-severity vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks User-ID Credential Agent, published on 12 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An information exposure vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks User-ID Credential Agent (Windows-based) can expose the service account password under specific non-default configurations. This allows an unprivileged Domain User to escalate privileges by exploiting the account’s permissions. The impact varies by configuration:
  *  Minimally Privileged Accounts: Enable disruption of User-ID Credential Agent operations (e.g., uninstalling or disabling the agent service), weakening network security policies that leverage  Credential Phishing Prevention https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/advanced-url-filtering/administration/url-filtering-features/credential-phishing-prevention  under a  Domain Credential Filter https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/advanced-url-filtering/administration/url-filtering-features/credential-phishing-prevention/methods-to-check-for-corporate-credential-submissions  configuration.
  *  Elevated Accounts (Server Operator, Domain Join, Legacy Features): Permit increased impacts, including server control (e.g., shutdown/restart), domain manipulation (e.g., rogue computer objects), and network compromise via reconnaissance or client probing.

Weakness: CWE-497 (Exposure of Sensitive System Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-4235?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-4235?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-4235 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-4235 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-4235 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-4235 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-4235 is a high-severity vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks User-ID Credential Agent, published on 12 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-2025-4235 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Palo Alto Networks User-ID Credential Agent. 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-2025-4235/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4235/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-4235
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-4235
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-4235

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4235/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.