Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Ivanti Gateway Products

Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on April 04, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.

What the vulnerability is

CVE-2025-22457 is a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) identified in Ivanti Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and ZTA Gateways. This vulnerability allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution (RCE). Notably, this flaw has been identified as having known use in ransomware campaigns.

Exposure and applicability

This vulnerability is highly relevant to U.S. healthcare providers, health plans, and business associates who utilize Ivanti gateway products to facilitate secure remote access for clinicians, administrative staff, or third-party vendors. Because these gateways often serve as the primary entry point into a network containing electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), an RCE vulnerability at this perimeter could provide an attacker with an initial foothold to deploy ransomware or move laterally through the clinical environment.

Remediation priorities

Based on our analysis, organizations should prioritize the following actions to reduce their risk profile:

1. Immediate Mitigation Application: Security leaders should prioritize applying the mitigations provided by Ivanti and CISA. Given the reported use in ransomware campaigns, this is a critical priority for maintaining operational resilience and patient care continuity.
2. Perimeter Review: Network security teams should verify if these specific gateway products are exposed to the public internet and ensure that only necessary services are accessible.
3. Access Control Audit: While not a direct fix for the buffer overflow, reviewing the permissions of accounts accessing the gateways can help limit the potential impact if an initial compromise occurs.

How to validate remediation

To verify that exposure has been reduced, organizations should employ the following methods:

• Version and Patch Verification: Confirm through the administrative console or vendor-provided tools that the specific mitigations or patches for CVE-2025-22457 have been successfully applied.
• Configuration Audit: Review system logs and configuration files to ensure the mitigation settings are active and consistent across all deployed gateway instances.

It is important to note that verifying a patch version does not guarantee total security, as it only addresses this specific vulnerability and not other potential entry paths.

Limits and open questions

While the vulnerability type (stack-based buffer overflow) and its impact (RCE) are known, the specific attack vector used by ransomware actors to trigger this overflow remains a point of analysis. Furthermore, while CISA has established a deadline for federal agencies, private healthcare entities must determine their own patching cadence based on their internal risk management processes and HIPAA Security Rule obligations. Applying these mitigations could reduce the likelihood of exploitation but does not eliminate all residual risks associated with remote access gateways.

Source and editorial note

CVE-2025-22457: Ivanti Connect Secure, Policy Secure, and ZTA Gateways Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability · Source date: April 04, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.

Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.

Archive date: April 07, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: October 15, 2026 at 01:15 UTC.

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