CVE-2025-31176 is a vulnerability identified in the open-source plotting utility gnuplot, specifically within the plot3d_points() function. The flaw is a NULL pointer dereference that occurs when the function attempts to access memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized or has been set to NULL. This results in a segmentation fault, causing the affected process to crash and potentially leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition on the host system. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning an attacker must have local access to the system to trigger the flaw. The attack complexity is low (AC:L), and no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N) are required to exploit it. The impact is limited to availability (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity impact. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or fixes have been published yet. The vulnerability primarily affects local users or processes that invoke gnuplot with crafted input that triggers the NULL pointer dereference. Since gnuplot is widely used in scientific, engineering, and academic environments for data visualization, systems running gnuplot locally are at risk of unexpected crashes, which could disrupt workflows or automated processes relying on plotting capabilities.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-31176 is a denial of service condition affecting systems running gnuplot locally. This could disrupt scientific research, engineering simulations, data analysis, and automated reporting processes that depend on gnuplot for visualization. While the vulnerability does not allow data theft or code execution, repeated crashes could degrade productivity and cause operational interruptions. Organizations with high reliance on gnuplot in academic institutions, research labs, or engineering firms may face increased risk of workflow disruption. Additionally, if gnuplot is integrated into larger automated pipelines, the vulnerability could cause cascading failures. However, since exploitation requires local access, the risk from remote attackers is minimal. The absence of known exploits and patches means organizations must proactively monitor and control access to vulnerable systems to mitigate impact.

1. Restrict local access to systems running gnuplot to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of unauthorized exploitation. 2. Monitor system logs and application behavior for unexpected gnuplot crashes or segmentation faults, which may indicate attempted exploitation. 3. Implement process isolation or sandboxing for gnuplot executions to limit the impact of crashes on critical systems. 4. Avoid running gnuplot with untrusted or user-supplied input that could trigger the NULL pointer dereference. 5. Stay informed about official patches or updates from gnuplot maintainers and apply them promptly once available. 6. Consider using alternative plotting tools temporarily if gnuplot is critical and no patch is available. 7. Incorporate vulnerability scanning and local security monitoring to detect anomalous activity related to gnuplot usage. 8. Educate local users about the risk and encourage reporting of any unusual application behavior.