Description

A Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Ivanti Neurons for ITSM before 2026.2 allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the server.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-08T15:18:40.963Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-08T15:18:40.963Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is susceptible to a Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability, categorized under CWE-502. This flaw allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying server, potentially leading to a full system compromise.\nThe vulnerability affects all versions of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM prior to 2026.2. By sending a specially crafted, malicious serialized object to the application, an attacker can manipulate the deserialization process to trigger unauthorized code execution.\nThe impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it grants attackers the ability to execute commands with the privileges of the application process. This may lead to unauthorized data access, lateral movement within the network, and the deployment of persistent threats or malicious payloads.\nSuccessful exploitation requires the attacker to be authenticated, though the nature of the vulnerability suggests that low-privileged authenticated accounts may be sufficient to leverage the flaw. Organizations are advised to prioritize the application of vendor-supplied security patches to remediate this critical risk.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides in the way Ivanti Neurons for ITSM handles the deserialization of incoming data streams. Deserialization is the process of converting stored or transmitted byte streams back into objects within the application memory. When an application deserializes untrusted, user-controlled data without proper validation or integrity checks, it becomes susceptible to object injection attacks.\nIn this specific implementation, the vulnerable component fails to enforce strict type checking or signature validation on incoming serialized objects. An authenticated attacker can craft a payload containing a serialized object designed to exploit gadget chains—sequences of existing code fragments within the application's classpath or loaded libraries. These gadget chains are invoked during the instantiation or reconstruction of the object, ultimately redirecting the application's execution flow to unauthorized methods or system-level functions.\nThe attack flow begins with the adversary identifying an endpoint or a communication channel that accepts serialized data as input. The attacker sends a malicious object payload, which is then processed by the server-side deserialization logic. Upon reaching a vulnerable sink—a point in the code where the object graph is reconstructed—the malicious gadget chain is triggered. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code or OS commands under the security context of the application server.\nThe scope of this vulnerability extends to all Ivanti Neurons for ITSM versions prior to 2026.2. Because the flaw is rooted in the core handling of object streams, it does not require complex injection techniques beyond the construction of the malicious serialized payload itself. Authentication is a prerequisite, implying that the attack surface is accessible to any user with valid system credentials, including those with limited authorization levels if the deserialization entry point is not scoped to administrative roles.\nPost-exploitation, an attacker can achieve a Remote Code Execution (RCE) state. From here, the attacker may perform further enumeration, escalate privileges if the service account has over-privileged system access, or establish persistence to maintain control over the server environment. Given the potential for total system compromise, this flaw represents a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the ITSM platform and integrated organizational data."
}