CVE-2025-15411 identifies a memory corruption vulnerability in the WebAssembly Binary Toolkit (wabt) up to version 1.0.39, specifically in the function wabt::AST::InsertNode located in the wasm-decompile component. This function is responsible for manipulating the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) during the decompilation of WebAssembly binaries. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of node insertion, which can lead to memory corruption. An attacker with local access and low privileges can exploit this flaw to corrupt memory, potentially causing application crashes or enabling further exploitation such as privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution, although no direct evidence of such escalation is provided. The attack does not require user interaction but does require local access and low privileges, limiting remote exploitation. The project currently lacks an active maintainer, and no official patches have been released, although a public exploit is available, increasing the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability affects all versions from 1.0.0 through 1.0.39, which covers the entire released range of the product. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 4.8, reflecting a medium severity with local attack vector, low complexity, no user interaction, and limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The lack of active maintenance and patch availability means organizations must rely on alternative mitigations or community contributions to address the issue.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-15411 depends largely on their use of wabt in development, testing, or security tooling environments. Memory corruption vulnerabilities can lead to application instability, denial of service, or potentially privilege escalation if combined with other vulnerabilities. Since wabt is primarily a developer tool for WebAssembly binary analysis and manipulation, organizations heavily invested in WebAssembly development or security research may face increased risk. The local attack requirement limits exposure to insiders or compromised hosts, but in environments with shared development infrastructure or CI/CD pipelines, exploitation could disrupt operations or lead to further compromise. The absence of an official patch and active maintainer increases the risk window, potentially allowing attackers to weaponize the public exploit. European organizations with stringent security compliance requirements may face challenges in mitigating risks without official vendor support. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is moderate but could escalate if attackers chain this vulnerability with others. Overall, the threat could affect software supply chains and development environments, which are critical for digital transformation initiatives across Europe.

Given the lack of an official patch or active maintainer, European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict local access to systems running wabt, especially limiting access to trusted users and isolating development environments. 2) Employ strict privilege separation and sandboxing for processes invoking wabt to contain potential exploitation. 3) Monitor logs and system behavior for signs of memory corruption or abnormal crashes related to wasm-decompile usage. 4) Consider replacing wabt with alternative WebAssembly tooling that is actively maintained and patched. 5) If feasible, review the public exploit code and develop internal patches or mitigations, such as input validation or AST manipulation safeguards, until an official fix is available. 6) Harden CI/CD pipelines and developer workstations to prevent unauthorized local access. 7) Educate developers and security teams about the vulnerability and encourage reporting of any anomalous behavior. 8) Engage with the open-source community to contribute patches or fork the project to maintain security updates. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, environment isolation, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.