CVE-2025-1253 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability classified under CWE-120 and CWE-121, found in RTI Connext Professional core libraries. This vulnerability occurs due to a classic buffer copy operation that does not properly check the size of the input before copying it onto the stack, leading to overflow of variables and tags. Affected versions span multiple releases from 4.5c up to versions before 7.5.0, indicating a long-standing issue across several major versions. The flaw can be exploited by an attacker with local access and low privileges, without requiring user interaction or elevated privileges. Exploitation could allow an attacker to overwrite stack memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or data corruption, impacting confidentiality and integrity of the affected system. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 6.9 (medium), with attack vector local, low attack complexity, no user interaction, and no privileges required beyond low-level access. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability is considered significant due to the critical nature of RTI Connext Professional in real-time data distribution systems used in industrial, defense, and transportation sectors. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but can cause system instability or crashes if exploited. The vendor has not yet published patches at the time of this report, so organizations should monitor for updates and apply them promptly once available. Additional mitigations include enforcing strict input validation, employing compiler and OS-level protections such as stack canaries, ASLR, and control flow integrity to reduce exploitation risk.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-1253 is significant especially in sectors relying on RTI Connext Professional for real-time data distribution such as industrial automation, defense systems, transportation infrastructure, and critical manufacturing. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, data manipulation, or system compromise, threatening confidentiality and integrity of sensitive operational data. This could disrupt industrial control systems or defense communications, potentially causing operational downtime or safety hazards. Given the local access requirement, insider threats or attackers gaining foothold via other vulnerabilities could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges or move laterally within networks. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as weaponization is plausible. European organizations with stringent regulatory requirements for data protection and operational security must prioritize remediation to avoid compliance violations and reputational damage. The medium severity score indicates a moderate but actionable risk that could escalate if combined with other vulnerabilities or attack vectors.

1. Monitor RTI vendor communications closely and apply official patches immediately upon release to affected versions. 2. Implement strict input validation and bounds checking in any custom integrations or extensions interacting with RTI Connext Professional to prevent malformed inputs triggering the overflow. 3. Employ compiler-level protections such as stack canaries, and enable OS-level mitigations including ASLR and DEP (Data Execution Prevention) to reduce exploitation success. 4. Restrict local access to systems running RTI Connext Professional to trusted personnel only, and enforce least privilege principles to limit attacker capabilities. 5. Conduct regular security audits and code reviews focusing on buffer handling in applications using RTI libraries. 6. Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 7. Segment networks to isolate critical RTI systems from general user environments, reducing attack surface. 8. Train staff on insider threat awareness and implement robust access controls to prevent unauthorized local access. 9. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential exploitation scenarios involving RTI Connext Professional. 10. Consider deploying runtime application self-protection (RASP) tools that can detect and block buffer overflow attempts in real-time.