Detect CVE-2025-2746: Kentico Xperience CMS Authentication Bypass in CrowdStrike LogScale
Detects exploitation of CVE-2025-2746, an authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-288) in Kentico Xperience CMS that allows attackers to access protected resources via alternate paths or channels without valid credentials. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (CISA KEV).
MITRE ATT&CK
LogScale Detection Query
#event_simpleName=NetworkReceiveAccepted OR #event_simpleName=NetworkConnectIP4
| search RemotePort=80 OR RemotePort=443 OR RemotePort=8080
| search ContextImageFileName=/w3wp.exe/ OR ParentImageFileName=/w3wp.exe/
| join type=inner
[
event_platform=Win
#event_simpleName=ProcessRollup2
| search ImageFileName=/w3wp.exe/
| stats count() by aid, TargetProcessId, CommandLine
]
field=aid
| rename RemoteAddressIP4 as attacker_ip, TargetProcessId as iis_pid
| eval cms_indicator=if(CommandLine matches "/Kentico/" OR CommandLine matches "/CMS/" OR CommandLine matches "/CMSPages/", "true", "false")
| where cms_indicator="true"
| stats
count() as connection_count,
values(attacker_ip) as source_ips,
min(timestamp) as first_seen,
max(timestamp) as last_seen
by aid, iis_pid, CommandLine
| where connection_count >= 5
| eval alert_name="CVE-2025-2746 Kentico Auth Bypass - IIS Process Anomaly"
| table first_seen, last_seen, aid, iis_pid, CommandLine, source_ips, connection_count, alert_nameCrowdStrike CQL query detecting anomalous network activity from IIS worker processes (w3wp.exe) hosting Kentico Xperience CMS. Elevated connection counts to CMS-related process contexts may indicate active exploitation of the authentication bypass vulnerability.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- High-traffic Kentico CMS sites generating legitimate elevated connection counts from multiple concurrent users
- Content delivery or caching services making frequent connections to the IIS process
- Automated backup or sync processes that connect to the CMS server regularly
- Load testing or performance benchmarking activity against the Kentico deployment
Other platforms for CVE-2025-2746
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1CVE-2025-2746 Authentication Bypass Path Enumeration
Expected signal: IIS access log entries showing HTTP GET requests to /CMSPages/, /CMSModules/, /CMSAdminControls/, /CMS/, and /Admin/ paths from the test host IP without a cs-username value, with HTTP response codes of 200, 302, or 401 depending on patch status.
- Test 2CVE-2025-2746 Alternate Path Channel Bypass Attempt
Expected signal: IIS logs should capture the URL-encoded and case-variant path requests. ASP.NET request normalization may cause the logged URI to differ from the requested URI — look for both raw and normalized forms in telemetry. Windows Security Event Log may show failed authorization attempts (Event ID 4625) if integrated auth is configured.
- Test 3CVE-2025-2746 Post-Exploitation CMS Account Creation Simulation
Expected signal: IIS logs showing POST request to /CMSModules/Membership/Pages/Users/User_Edit_General.aspx without authentication. Kentico CMS_EventLog table entries for user creation attempt. Windows Security Event Log entries for IIS process activity. If successful on unpatched system, CMS_User table will contain the new account.
- Test 4CVE-2025-2746 Network-Level Authentication Bypass Detection Validation
Expected signal: 10 concurrent HTTP requests to Kentico CMS paths appearing in IIS logs within a 1-second window, all from the same source IP without authentication headers. The burst pattern should appear clearly in SIEM dashboards.
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2025-2746 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.