CVE-2024-21795 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the .egi parsing functionality of The Biosig Project's libbiosig library, specifically affecting version 2.5.0 and the master branch (commit ab0ee111). The vulnerability arises when the library processes specially crafted .egi files, which are used for storing electrophysiological data. Due to improper bounds checking during parsing, an attacker can overflow the heap buffer, corrupting memory and enabling arbitrary code execution. This flaw does not require any privileges, user interaction, or authentication, making it remotely exploitable over any interface that processes .egi files. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, reflecting its critical severity with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the nature of the vulnerability suggests that attackers could leverage it to execute malicious payloads, potentially compromising systems that rely on libbiosig for biomedical data processing. The Biosig Project is widely used in medical research, biometric authentication, and neuroinformatics, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for environments handling sensitive health data. The lack of an official patch at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate risk mitigation strategies to prevent exploitation.

The impact of CVE-2024-21795 on European organizations can be significant, especially those in healthcare, biomedical research, and biometric authentication sectors that utilize libbiosig for processing electrophysiological data. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing attackers to gain control over affected systems, steal sensitive patient or biometric data, disrupt critical medical research, or manipulate data integrity. This could result in severe privacy breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), operational downtime, and reputational damage. Given the critical nature of healthcare infrastructure in Europe, exploitation could also affect patient safety and trust in medical technologies. The vulnerability’s remote exploitability without authentication increases the attack surface, potentially enabling widespread attacks if malicious .egi files are introduced via network shares, email attachments, or compromised software repositories. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the high CVSS score underscores the urgency for European organizations to address this threat promptly.

1. Monitor The Biosig Project’s official channels for patches addressing CVE-2024-21795 and apply updates immediately upon release. 2. Until patches are available, implement strict input validation and sanitization for all .egi files processed by libbiosig to detect and block malformed or suspicious files. 3. Employ sandboxing or containerization techniques to isolate the libbiosig parsing process, limiting the impact of potential exploitation. 4. Restrict access to systems processing .egi files to trusted users and networks, minimizing exposure to untrusted file sources. 5. Conduct code audits and static analysis on any custom integrations using libbiosig to identify and remediate unsafe parsing practices. 6. Enhance monitoring and logging for abnormal application behavior or crashes related to .egi file processing to detect exploitation attempts early. 7. Educate staff handling biomedical data about the risks of opening untrusted .egi files and enforce policies against using files from unknown sources. 8. Consider deploying application-layer firewalls or intrusion prevention systems capable of inspecting and filtering malicious file content targeting libbiosig.