CVE-2025-12380 is a critical security vulnerability identified in Mozilla Firefox versions earlier than 144.0.2. The flaw arises from a use-after-free condition triggered by WebGPU-related inter-process communication (IPC) calls. Specifically, a compromised child process within Firefox can exploit this vulnerability to cause memory corruption in either the GPU process or the main browser process. This corruption can be leveraged to escape the sandbox environment that normally restricts the privileges of child processes, thereby allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 (Use After Free), which involves accessing memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior and potential exploitation. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting a critical severity level due to the vulnerability's network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction needed (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the potential for exploitation is significant given the widespread use of Firefox and the nature of the vulnerability. The vulnerability specifically affects the WebGPU feature, which is a modern graphics API designed to provide high-performance GPU access from web applications. The flaw was introduced starting with Firefox 142 and was fixed in version 144.0.2. The absence of patch links in the provided data suggests that users should upgrade to the fixed version promptly. The vulnerability's exploitation could allow attackers to bypass sandbox restrictions, leading to full system compromise or data exfiltration.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-12380 is substantial. Firefox is a widely used browser across Europe, both in enterprise and consumer environments. The ability to escape the sandbox from a child process means attackers can potentially execute arbitrary code on the host system, leading to full system compromise. This jeopardizes the confidentiality of sensitive data, the integrity of systems, and the availability of services. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure are particularly at risk due to the high value of their data and systems. The vulnerability's exploitation could facilitate advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware deployment, or espionage activities. Additionally, since no user interaction or prior authentication is required, the attack surface is broad, increasing the likelihood of successful exploitation through drive-by downloads or malicious web content. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the critical nature of the flaw demands urgent attention.

European organizations should immediately upgrade all Firefox installations to version 144.0.2 or later to remediate the vulnerability. Where immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should consider disabling or restricting WebGPU functionality via browser configuration policies or group policies to reduce the attack surface. Monitoring IPC traffic related to WebGPU processes for anomalous behavior can help detect exploitation attempts. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions with heuristics for use-after-free exploitation patterns can provide additional defense. Network-level protections such as web filtering to block access to untrusted or malicious websites can reduce exposure to drive-by attacks. Security teams should also educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and ensure that browser extensions are vetted and minimized. Finally, maintaining up-to-date backups and incident response plans will help mitigate the impact of any successful exploitation.