CVE-2025-13601 is a vulnerability identified in the glib library component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, specifically within the g_escape_uri_string() function. This function is responsible for escaping URI strings by replacing unacceptable characters with percent-encoded equivalents. The vulnerability stems from an integer overflow or wraparound during the calculation of the buffer size needed to store the escaped string. When the input string contains a very large number of characters that require escaping, the length calculation can overflow the integer limit, resulting in an allocation of a buffer smaller than necessary. Consequently, when the function writes the escaped characters into this undersized buffer, it causes a heap-based buffer overflow. This overflow can corrupt adjacent memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, denial of service, or other integrity and availability impacts. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction to be exploited, but the attack vector is local (AV:L). The CVSS score of 7.7 reflects the high impact on integrity and availability, with low attack complexity and no privileges required. Although no public exploits are currently known, the nature of the vulnerability suggests that attackers with local access could exploit it to compromise affected systems. Given that glib is widely used in many Linux-based applications, the vulnerability could have broad implications if exploited.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-13601 can be significant, particularly for those relying on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 in critical infrastructure, enterprise servers, or cloud environments. The heap-based buffer overflow can lead to system crashes or arbitrary code execution, threatening system integrity and availability. This could disrupt business operations, cause data corruption, or enable privilege escalation attacks. Organizations processing large volumes of untrusted URI data, such as web servers, proxy services, or network appliances, are especially vulnerable. The lack of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained limited local access. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as proof-of-concept exploits could emerge. The potential for denial of service or system compromise necessitates prompt attention to this vulnerability to maintain operational security and compliance with European cybersecurity regulations.

To mitigate CVE-2025-13601, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Monitor Red Hat advisories closely and apply security patches for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and glib as soon as they become available. 2) Conduct an inventory of applications and services that utilize glib’s URI escaping functions, particularly those handling large or untrusted input strings, and implement input validation or size restrictions to reduce the risk of triggering the overflow. 3) Employ runtime protections such as heap memory protection mechanisms (e.g., heap canaries, ASLR) and enable compiler-level hardening options to mitigate exploitation impact. 4) Restrict local access to critical systems to trusted personnel only and monitor for unusual local activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Integrate vulnerability scanning and static code analysis in development pipelines to detect unsafe use of vulnerable functions. 6) Prepare incident response plans to quickly address potential exploitation scenarios involving this vulnerability. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on proactive input management, patch prioritization, and runtime defenses tailored to the nature of this heap overflow.