CVE-2025-1252 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in RTI Connext Professional, a middleware product widely used for real-time data connectivity in distributed systems. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the product, specifically from 4.4d up to versions prior to 7.5.0, including 7.4.0, 7.0.0, 6.1.0, 6.0.0, and 5.3.0. The flaw is categorized under CWE-122, which involves improper handling of memory buffers on the heap, leading to potential overflow conditions. This vulnerability allows an attacker with limited privileges (low privileges) and local access to cause a heap overflow by manipulating variables and tags within the core libraries of Connext Professional. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 6.9 (medium severity), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and no privileges required (PR:L). The impact is high on both integrity and availability, meaning exploitation could lead to corruption of data or denial of service. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigations have been linked yet. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require local access and low privileges, which limits remote exploitation but still poses a significant risk in environments where attackers can gain local access or escalate privileges. The absence of network attack vector reduces the risk of widespread remote exploitation, but the vulnerability remains critical in environments where RTI Connext Professional is deployed on local or internal networks, especially in industrial, automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors where this middleware is commonly used.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-1252 could be substantial, particularly in industries relying on RTI Connext Professional for real-time data distribution such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, defense, healthcare, and industrial automation. Exploitation could lead to system crashes, data corruption, or denial of service, disrupting critical operations and potentially causing safety risks in real-time systems. The integrity and availability impacts could compromise operational technology (OT) environments, leading to production downtime and safety incidents. Since the vulnerability requires local access, insider threats or attackers who have breached perimeter defenses could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges or disrupt services. Given Europe's strong industrial base and reliance on real-time middleware in critical infrastructure, this vulnerability could affect supply chains and safety-critical systems. Additionally, regulatory compliance frameworks like GDPR and NIS Directive may impose reporting and remediation obligations if data integrity or availability is compromised.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting local access to systems running RTI Connext Professional, enforcing strict access controls and monitoring for unauthorized local activity. 2. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate systems using this middleware from broader enterprise networks to reduce the risk of lateral movement. 3. Deploy host-based intrusion detection and prevention systems (HIDS/HIPS) to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Since no patches are currently linked, organizations should engage with RTI for updates and apply patches as soon as they become available. 5. Conduct thorough code audits and fuzz testing on custom implementations using RTI Connext Professional to identify potential exploitation vectors. 6. Implement application whitelisting and privilege restrictions to limit the ability of attackers to execute arbitrary code or manipulate vulnerable components. 7. Regularly update and harden endpoint security solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. 8. Train staff on insider threat awareness and enforce strict policies on local access to critical systems.