External risk intelligence

TeleMessage Service Password Exposure Risk

CVE advisoryKnown Exploit

CVE-2025-48928

A vulnerability in the TeleMessage service may expose passwords sent over HTTP. Exploited in May 2025, this affects organizations by potentially compromising credentials and systems. The realistic business risk involves unauthorized access to sensitive data due to the exposure of password information within the service

1Halo Surface Signal

Smarsh Telemessage

External exposure likelihood

Halo Surface Signal score for CVE-2025-48928

The vulnerability involves a JSP heap dump analysis issue within the TeleMessage application. Accessing core dumps or internal application heap memory is a local operation that does not involve network-facing protocols or public internet exposure in typical deployment patterns.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

The TeleMessage service contains a vulnerability within its JavaServer Pages (JSP) application. This flaw can expose sensitive information, such as passwords sent over HTTP, within a heap dump. Organizations using this service face a risk of unauthorized access to credentials, potentially compromising other systems and data.

  • Vulnerable TeleMessage service
  • Heap content exposes passwords
  • Compromised credentials and systems

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

The TeleMessage service, through May 5, 2025, contained a vulnerability in its JSP application that exposed sensitive information. Specifically, the application's heap content was akin to a core dump, which included passwords that had been transmitted via HTTP. This vulnerability was exploited in the wild during May 2025, leading to unauthorized access to credentials.

  • Local exposure condition required.
  • Attacker accesses password from heap dump.
  • Control or impact: unauthorized credential access.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

The TeleMessage service is affected by a vulnerability where heap content, similar to a core dump, may contain sensitive password information transmitted over HTTP. This issue was actively exploited in May 2025. Organizations using this service face a risk of unauthorized access to credentials, potentially leading to further compromise of systems and data.

  • Attacker skill: Low.
  • Access required: Local access.
  • Business risk: Potential credential exposure.

Priority actions

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

The TeleMessage service contains a vulnerability that may expose passwords sent over HTTP. This vulnerability was exploited in the wild in May 2025. The issue resides in a JSP application where heap content, similar to a core dump, can contain sensitive information.

  • Identify TeleMessage assets.
  • Isolate exposed systems.
  • Apply vendor fix and validate.
  • Monitor for related activity.

Frequently asked questions

What is the TeleMessage service and what is it used for?

The TeleMessage service, also known as TM SGNL, is a communication archiving platform developed by Smarsh. It's designed to create compliant records of messages sent via modified versions of popular encrypted messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Businesses and government agencies use it to meet regulatory requirements for message retention and e-discovery.

What is the CWE weakness class for CVE-2025-48928?

CVE-2025-48928 is associated with two Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classes: CWE-528, "Exposure of Core Dump File to an Unauthorized Control Sphere," and CWE-552, "Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere." These classifications indicate that sensitive information, such as passwords, can be exposed due to how the application handles memory dumps.

What are the preconditions for exploiting CVE-2025-48928?

Exploiting this vulnerability typically requires local access to the affected TeleMessage service. The attacker needs to access the application's heap content, which is similar to a core dump, to find passwords that were previously sent over HTTP. The bug is not triggered by network-based attacks, and successful exploitation does not require any specific user interaction.

Who should be concerned about this TeleMessage vulnerability?

Organizations using the TeleMessage service should be concerned. According to Halo Surface Signal analysis, this vulnerability is classified as 'internal' because accessing the heap dump is a local operation. This means the risk is primarily for systems that an attacker could gain local access to, rather than those directly exposed to the public internet.

What are the first steps for running TeleMessage technology?

Organizations running TeleMessage should identify all instances of the service, isolate any potentially exposed systems, and apply any vendor-supplied patches or mitigation steps as soon as possible. It is also advisable to monitor for any related suspicious activity and to review the security of integrated communication and archiving solutions.

References

Sources and related resources

Primary sources: NVD, CVE.org, CISA KEV.

NVDPublished Modified