CVE-2025-1253 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability classified under CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input) and CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) affecting RTI Connext Professional, a middleware product widely used for real-time data connectivity in distributed systems. The vulnerability arises due to improper validation of input size before copying data into stack buffers, which can lead to overflow of variables and tags on the stack. This flaw exists in multiple versions of Connext Professional, specifically from 4.5c up to versions before 5.2.*, 5.3.0 before any patch, 6.0.0 before 6.0.1.42, 6.1.0 before 6.1.2.23, 7.0.0 before 7.3.0.7, and 7.4.0 before 7.5.0. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and has a low attack complexity but requires low privileges (PR:L) and local access (AV:L), meaning an attacker must have some level of access to the system to exploit it. The impact on confidentiality and availability is high, indicating that successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution, denial of service, or data corruption. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked yet. The CVSS v4.0 score is 6.9 (medium severity), reflecting the moderate risk posed by this vulnerability. Given the nature of RTI Connext Professional as middleware in critical real-time systems, exploitation could disrupt communications or control flows in industrial, automotive, or aerospace applications where this product is deployed.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-1253 could be significant, especially those operating in sectors relying on real-time distributed systems such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure. RTI Connext Professional is often embedded in systems requiring high reliability and low latency communication. Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers with local access to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service, potentially disrupting operational technology (OT) environments or safety-critical systems. This could lead to production downtime, safety incidents, intellectual property theft, or compromise of sensitive operational data. Given the medium severity and local attack vector, the threat is more pronounced in environments where internal threat actors or compromised insiders exist, or where attackers have gained foothold through other means. The lack of user interaction requirement increases risk in automated or unattended systems. European organizations must consider the potential cascading effects on supply chains and industrial control systems that rely on RTI Connext Professional middleware.

1. Immediate inventory and version audit: Identify all instances of RTI Connext Professional in use, including embedded systems and software stacks, to determine exposure. 2. Restrict local access: Enforce strict access controls and network segmentation to limit who can reach systems running vulnerable versions, reducing the risk of local exploitation. 3. Monitor for anomalous behavior: Implement enhanced logging and monitoring around RTI Connext Professional processes to detect unusual activity indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Apply vendor patches promptly: Although no patches are linked yet, maintain close contact with RTI for updates and apply security patches as soon as they become available. 5. Employ application whitelisting and memory protection: Use OS-level mitigations such as DEP (Data Execution Prevention), ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization), and stack canaries to reduce exploitability of buffer overflows. 6. Conduct penetration testing and code review: For custom integrations using RTI Connext Professional, perform security assessments to identify and remediate potential exploitation paths. 7. Educate internal teams: Raise awareness among system administrators and developers about the vulnerability and the importance of minimizing local access and privilege escalation opportunities.