Detection Engineering & Incident Response: CVE-2025-3248
Respond to a Langflow unauthenticated code-injection compromise (CVE-2025-3248). Reconstruct the timeline from the access and service logs, see how /api/v1/validate/code executed posted code with no auth, find the rogue-cron persistence, engineer a detection rule for the code endpoint, then contain, eradicate, upgrade, verify and report - including rotating keys.
Skills you will practice
- Log analysis
- detection and IR; Incident-handling lifecycle; Code injection and IOCs; Security Operations domain
Certifications this lab maps to
This lab builds hands-on skills that appear on these certification exams. thinQtank Learning runs instructor-led training camps for each — click one to see upcoming classes.
The scenario
An internet-facing Langflow host (CVE-2025-3248 open) logged unauthenticated POSTs to /api/v1/validate/code with Python payloads, then the process spawned a shell. You are the responder. Classify it.
What you will do
- Open and classify the incident4 steps
Open the incident · Read the alert · Read the ticket · Classify it
- Reconstruct the timeline3 steps
Pull the attacker’s requests · Correlate the service log · What made RCE possible?
- Impact and persistence3 steps
Inspect the rogue cron · What persistence? · Record IOCs
- Engineer a detection rule4 steps
Study the sample · Write a rule · Test and tune · Why not flag every validate call?
- Contain, eradicate, verify5 steps
Contain: restrict the endpoint · Eradicate the persistence · Upgrade Langflow · Verify the host · …
- Report2 steps
Write the report · What must also be rotated?
How this lab works
A real Linux-style console. Commands run against real files, so hashes, hex dumps and comparisons give real results.
A file browser where you can place evidence into the lab, either the file provided or one of your own.
Reset a single step, a whole task or the entire lab. The environment is rebuilt so you can try again cleanly.
Progress saves after every step. Close the tab and come back later; your files and answers are waiting.