CVE-2025-12742 is an OS command injection vulnerability classified under CWE-78, discovered in Google Cloud Looker, a business intelligence and data analytics platform. The flaw arises from improper neutralization of special elements in the processing of Teradata driver parameters, which allows a user with Developer role privileges to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying server. Both Looker-hosted and self-hosted instances were initially vulnerable; however, Google has already mitigated the issue for Looker-hosted environments, requiring no user intervention. Self-hosted instances remain at risk until upgraded to patched versions. The vulnerability's CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/U:Red) indicates a network attack vector with high complexity, requiring partial authentication and high privileges, and causing high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or disruption of analytics services. The issue specifically involves insecure handling of Teradata driver parameters, which are used to connect Looker to Teradata databases, a common enterprise data warehouse solution. The vendor has released patched versions (24.12.108+, 24.18.200+, 25.0.78+, 25.6.65+, 25.8.47+, 25.12.10+, 25.14+) to remediate the vulnerability. No known exploits have been reported in the wild to date, but the severity and ease of exploitation by privileged users make timely patching critical.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially for enterprises relying on self-hosted Looker deployments integrated with Teradata databases. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized command execution on analytics servers, resulting in data exfiltration, manipulation of business intelligence reports, or disruption of critical data services. This could compromise sensitive business data, violate data protection regulations such as GDPR, and damage organizational reputation. The high privileges required limit the attack surface to trusted users, but insider threats or compromised developer accounts could be leveraged. The impact extends to availability if attackers disrupt analytics operations, potentially affecting decision-making processes. Given the widespread use of Looker in finance, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors across Europe, the vulnerability could affect critical infrastructure and data-driven services. Organizations failing to patch may face regulatory scrutiny and operational risks.

European organizations using self-hosted Looker instances must urgently upgrade to one of the patched versions provided by Google Cloud (24.12.108+, 24.18.200+, 25.0.78+, 25.6.65+, 25.8.47+, 25.12.10+, 25.14+). Beyond patching, organizations should audit and restrict Developer role assignments to trusted personnel only, implementing strict role-based access controls. Monitoring and logging of Looker user activities, especially those with elevated privileges, should be enhanced to detect anomalous command executions or parameter manipulations. Network segmentation can limit access to Looker servers, reducing exposure. Additionally, organizations should review Teradata driver configurations and sanitize inputs where possible. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on analytics platforms can help identify residual risks. Finally, integrating Looker security posture into broader cloud security frameworks and incident response plans will improve resilience against exploitation.