A critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-32433, has been discovered in the SSH server implementation within Erlang/OTP, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution through malformed SSH messages. This flaw arises from improper handling of protocol messages before authentication is completed, enabling attackers to send crafted payloads that the server processes unsafely. If the SSH daemon is running with elevated privileges, successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise. The issue affects multiple Erlang/OTP branches, including versions prior to OTP-27.3.3, OTP-26.2.5.11, and OTP-25.3.2.20. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators should consider disabling SSH temporarily or applying strict network access controls. The IONIX research team developed and tested an exploit simulation on relevant assets to verify the vulnerability’s impact and assess potential exposure. The findings are detailed in this post.
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