Topic starter
20/08/2026 6:08 pm
TL;DR: 86 CVEs this month, including 13 critical issues, are the backdrop for Expel's case work on CVE-2025-42957 in SAP S/4HANA. The finding shows that RFC reachability plus authorization failure can let a normal user context become a path to full system takeover.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Expel: “Patch Tuesday: September 2025 (Expel’s version)”.
Key questions
Q: Why does authorization bypass in enterprise ERP create takeover risk?
A: Because the attack is not limited to data theft.
Q: How do security teams know if a management interface is too exposed?
A: A management interface is too exposed when it is reachable from public or untrusted networks, when access is not tightly allow-listed, or when segmentation is inconsistent across environments.
Q: What breaks when SAP RFC modules are reachable by low-privilege users?
A: A low-privilege account can become a code execution path when a remote-enabled function module accepts injected ABAP.
Practitioner guidance
- Prioritise patching for SAP S/4HANA RFC exposure Patch CVE-2025-42957 immediately where S/4HANA is in use, and treat systems with exposed RFC access as the highest-risk instances.
- Restrict RFC reachability before remediation completes If patching cannot happen at once, limit or remove public exposure of the RFC interface so authenticated abuse cannot become remote takeover.
- Review who can invoke high-privilege SAP functions Map user, technical, and integration identities that can reach sensitive SAP modules, then remove unnecessary access paths that bypass authorization checks.
Bottom line: The vulnerability matters because it turns a normal SAP user context into a path toward full system takeover.
Glossary terms: Remote Function Call (RFC), Authorization Bypass, Privilege Escalation, Interface Exposure
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This topic was modified 2 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group
20/08/2026 6:45 pm
Interface exposure is the real privilege problem here: this case is not just about a high CVSS score, it is about an enterprise interface that allows user-level access to collapse into system-level control. When RFC endpoints are exposed too broadly, the application layer becomes a privilege escalation surface rather than a business integration layer. Practitioners should treat interface exposure as part of identity governance, not a separate network issue.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What should IAM and PAM teams check first in SAP takeover scenarios?
A: Check which identities can invoke privileged functions and whether those identities are constrained by least privilege. If a business, technical, or integration account can reach commands that bypass normal authorization checks, the control problem is bigger than one vulnerability and needs entitlement review.
👉 Read our full editorial: September patch Tuesday exposes SAP S/4HANA takeover risk