CVE-2025-12420
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in the ServiceNow AI Platform that could enable an unauthenticated user to impersonate another user and perform the operations that the impersonated user is entitled to perform. ServiceNow has addressed this vulnerability by deploying a relevant security update to hosted instances in October 2025. Security updates have also been provided to ServiceNow self-hosted customers, partners, and hosted customers with unique configurations. Additionally, the vulnerability is addressed in the listed Store App versions. We recommend that customers promptly apply an appropriate security update or upgrade if they have not already done so.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceAuthentication bypass vulnerability in ServiceNow AI Platform allowing unauthenticated users to impersonate legitimate users and execute operations with the impersonated user's privileges. The flaw enables privilege escalation without credentials.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 5.1.18>= 5.2.0, < 5.2.19< 3.15.2>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Now Assist AI Agents versionNavigate to System Applications > All Applications > Now Assist AI Agents and view the version field, or query the store app version via 'sn_sc_cat_item' table for 'Now Assist AI Agents'Affected if Version is less than 5.1.18, OR version is 5.2.0 through 5.2.18 (inclusive)
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Check Virtual Agent API versionNavigate to System Applications > All Applications > Virtual Agent API and view the version field, or query the store app version via 'sn_sc_cat_item' table for 'Virtual Agent API'Affected if Version is less than 3.15.2, OR version is 4.0.0 through 4.0.3 (inclusive)
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Confirm plugin or feature statusNavigate to System Diagnostics > System Properties > Plugins or check if 'Now Assist' plugin is active via 'sys_plugin' table with name containing 'ai agent' or 'virtual agent'Affected if The Now Assist AI Agents or Virtual Agent API plugins are installed and active
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Check external exposure (optional context)Review your ServiceNow instance URL accessibility - if the instance is publicly accessible via the internet without strict IP restrictions, unauthenticated attackers could reach the vulnerable endpointAffected if Instance is externally accessible and vulnerable version is installed
You are affected if either Now Assist AI Agents version is < 5.1.18 or between 5.2.0-5.2.18, OR Virtual Agent API version is < 3.15.2 or between 4.0.0-4.0.3, and the corresponding component is installed and active on your instance.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped3.15.24.0.45.1.18
Apply the ServiceNow security update deployed in October 2025 or upgrade to the listed Store App versions; self-hosted customers should obtain and install the provided security patches.
Now Assist Ai Agents: 5.1.18 or 5.2.19 (or later); Virtual Agent Api: 3.15.2 or 4.0.4 (or later)
- Identify which ServiceNow product(s) are affected in your environment: Now Assist Ai Agents and/or Virtual Agent Api
- Determine your current installed version of the affected product(s)
- For Now Assist Ai Agents: If running < 5.1.18, upgrade to 5.1.18 or later; if running >= 5.2.0 and < 5.2.19, upgrade to 5.2.19 or later
- For Virtual Agent Api: If running < 3.15.2, upgrade to 3.15.2 or later; if running >= 4.0.0 and < 4.0.4, upgrade to 4.0.4 or later
- If using self-hosted instances, obtain the security update from ServiceNow or your authorized partner
- Apply the upgrade following ServiceNow standard upgrade procedures
- Verify the upgrade was successful and test that the impersonation vulnerability is mitigated
- For hosted instances, confirm with ServiceNow that the October 2025 security update has been applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12420 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-12420 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data