ServiceNow BodySnatcher — hardcoded secret key enables full AI agent hijacking (CVE-2025-12420)
Date: 2025-10
Affected: ServiceNow Now Assist AI Agents 5.0.24-5.1.17 — customer SSNs, healthcare, financial data
Attack vector: auth-bypass
Category: research-demonstrated
Severity: Critical
CVE: CVE-2025-12420

CVSS 9.3. Hardcoded platform-wide secret key combined with email-based account-linking logic allowed unauthenticated attackers to impersonate any user including administrators. Attackers could bypass MFA/SSO, execute AI agents, create backdoor accounts, and access customer SSNs, healthcare records, and financial data.

Impact: Full platform takeover; MFA/SSO bypass; access to sensitive PII at scale

Mitigations:
Agent execution audit logging
Cryptographic account-linking protocols
Eliminate hardcoded secrets

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):
label: Deployment & Infrastructure
notes: Hardcoded platform-wide secret key
role: origin
label: Agent Frameworks
notes: Impersonated admin executes AI agents with full privileges
role: propagation
label: Data Operations
notes: SSNs, healthcare records, financial data accessible
role: impact