CVE-2025-14242 identifies a vulnerability in the vsftpd (Very Secure FTP Daemon) component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The flaw arises from an integer overflow or wraparound during the parsing of the ls command parameter within the STAT command handler. When a remote attacker with valid authentication sends a crafted STAT command containing a specific byte sequence, the integer overflow triggers a denial of service by causing the vsftpd process to crash or become unresponsive. This vulnerability impacts the availability of the FTP service but does not compromise confidentiality or integrity. The attack vector is network-based and requires the attacker to have valid credentials, but no additional user interaction is necessary. The vulnerability was reserved in December 2025 and published in January 2026, with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5, indicating medium severity. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the flaw could be leveraged in targeted attacks against systems running vulnerable versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 with vsftpd enabled. The lack of patch links suggests that a fix may be forthcoming or pending deployment. Organizations relying on vsftpd for FTP services should be aware of this vulnerability and prepare to apply updates promptly.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-14242 is denial of service, which affects the availability of FTP services on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems. For European organizations, this could disrupt file transfer operations critical to business processes, especially in sectors like finance, manufacturing, and government where FTP is still used for legacy systems or automated workflows. While confidentiality and integrity are not directly impacted, the loss of availability can lead to operational downtime, delayed transactions, and potential cascading effects on dependent systems. Since exploitation requires authentication, insider threats or compromised credentials pose a significant risk vector. The medium severity rating reflects that while the attack is not trivial, it can be executed remotely with low complexity once credentials are obtained. Organizations with large Red Hat deployments or those providing managed services to clients may face increased risk exposure. Additionally, critical infrastructure entities relying on FTP for data exchange could experience service interruptions, impacting broader supply chains or public services.

To mitigate CVE-2025-14242, European organizations should: 1) Monitor vendor communications closely and apply Red Hat patches or updates as soon as they become available to address the integer overflow. 2) Restrict access to vsftpd services by implementing network segmentation and firewall rules limiting FTP access to trusted users and IP ranges. 3) Enforce strong authentication mechanisms and credential management to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. 4) Consider disabling vsftpd or replacing FTP with more secure file transfer protocols such as SFTP or FTPS if FTP is not essential. 5) Implement logging and anomaly detection to identify unusual STAT command usage or repeated failed attempts that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments on Linux systems to identify outdated or vulnerable software components. 7) Educate administrators about the risks associated with legacy FTP services and encourage migration to modern alternatives. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, credential hygiene, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.