CVE-2025-15537VulnerabilityPublished 18 Jan 2026Updated 23 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-15537: Mapnik · Heap-based Buffer Overflow

Affects MapnikSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.8 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

4.8Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: Low
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable system is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or through terminal emulation (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., using social engineering techniques to trick a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the Vulnerable System are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Mapnik	Affected =4.0 =4.1 =4.2.0	Fixed in–
GitHubmapnik/mapnik`pkg:github/mapnik/mapnik`Other threats	Affected =4.0 =4.1 =4.2.0	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

1. Restrict local access to systems running vulnerable Mapnik versions to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 2. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all DBF files processed by Mapnik, rejecting malformed or suspicious files before processing. 3. Employ application sandboxing or containerization to limit the impact of potential exploitation, isolating Mapnik processes from critical system components. 4. Monitor system logs and application behavior for signs of crashes or anomalous activity related to Mapnik, enabling early detection of exploitation attempts. 5. If feasible, replace or upgrade Mapnik components with versions that do not use the vulnerable function or apply community-developed patches until an official fix is released. 6. Educate local users about the risks of processing untrusted shapefiles and enforce policies to prevent unauthorized file usage. 7. Consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect exploitation attempts targeting heap overflows. 8. Maintain regular backups of geospatial data and configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise.

Description

A security vulnerability has been detected in Mapnik up to 4.2.0. This issue affects the function mapnik::dbf_file::string_value of the file plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp. Such manipulation leads to heap-based buffer overflow. The attack must be carried out locally. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. The project was informed of the problem early through an issue report but has not responded yet.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-15537 is the potential for local attackers to cause denial of service through application crashes or, in worst cases, execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Mapnik process. This can lead to system instability or compromise, especially in environments where Mapnik is used to process untrusted or user-supplied shapefiles. Organizations relying on Mapnik for geospatial rendering in critical infrastructure, mapping services, or data analysis may face service disruptions or data integrity issues. Since exploitation requires local access, the threat is more significant in multi-user systems, shared environments, or where attackers can gain initial foothold. The absence of an official patch increases exposure time, and public exploit disclosure raises the risk of opportunistic attacks. While the CVSS score is medium, the potential for chained attacks or privilege escalation elevates concern for sensitive deployments. Overall, the vulnerability could undermine trust in geospatial data processing and impact operational continuity in affected organizations.

Summary

CVE-2025-15537 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the Mapnik open-source mapping toolkit, affecting versions 4.0 through 4.2.0. The vulnerability exists in the function mapnik::dbf_file::string_value within the source file plugins/input/shape/dbfile.cpp. This function improperly handles string data extracted from DBF files, which are commonly used in shapefile formats for geospatial data. When manipulated with crafted input, this leads to a heap-based buffer overflow, potentially corrupting memory and enabling arbitrary code execution or denial of service. The attack vector requires local access with at least limited privileges (PR:L), no user interaction, and low attack complexity. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality, integrity, or availability on a large scale but poses a risk to systems where local users can supply malicious DBF files. The vulnerability was responsibly disclosed but remains unpatched, increasing risk. Exploitation could lead to crashes or privilege escalation if combined with other vulnerabilities. Mapnik is widely used in geospatial data rendering and mapping applications, often integrated into GIS platforms and web mapping services. The lack of a patch necessitates immediate defensive measures to mitigate risk.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Feb 2026, 22:43 UTC

Technical details

References

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