CVE-2025-31176 is a vulnerability identified in the gnuplot software, specifically within the plot3d_points() function. The flaw is a NULL pointer dereference that can lead to a segmentation fault, causing the affected system to crash. This type of vulnerability results from the program attempting to access or manipulate memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized or has been set to NULL. When triggered, it causes the application to terminate unexpectedly, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.2, indicating a medium severity level. The vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H shows that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no patches or vendor advisories have been linked yet. The vulnerability affects version "0" of gnuplot, which likely indicates an early or placeholder version number, suggesting the need for clarification on affected versions. The root cause is a programming error in handling 3D plotting points, which when exploited, crashes the application and potentially the host system if gnuplot is run with elevated privileges or in critical environments.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-31176 is the potential for denial of service on systems running gnuplot, particularly in environments where gnuplot is used for scientific, engineering, or data visualization tasks. Organizations relying on automated plotting in data analysis pipelines or embedded systems could experience disruptions. While the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could interrupt critical workflows, especially in research institutions, universities, and industries such as manufacturing or energy that use gnuplot for modeling and visualization. If gnuplot is integrated into larger automated systems or exposed to local users, attackers or malicious insiders could exploit this flaw to cause system crashes, leading to downtime and potential operational delays. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, reducing risk from external attackers but increasing concern for insider threats or compromised local accounts. Given the lack of known exploits, the immediate threat is moderate, but organizations should proactively assess their use of gnuplot and prepare to apply patches once available.

1. Inventory and Audit: Identify all instances of gnuplot deployed within the organization, including versions and usage contexts. 2. Access Control: Restrict local access to systems running gnuplot to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by unauthorized personnel. 3. Segmentation: Isolate systems running gnuplot in secure network segments to limit impact in case of crashes or exploitation attempts. 4. Monitoring: Implement monitoring for application crashes or unusual terminations of gnuplot processes to detect potential exploitation attempts early. 5. Patch Management: Stay alert for official patches or updates from gnuplot maintainers addressing CVE-2025-31176 and apply them promptly. 6. Input Validation: Where possible, validate and sanitize input data fed into gnuplot scripts or functions to prevent triggering the NULL pointer dereference. 7. Backup and Recovery: Ensure regular backups of critical data and configurations to minimize downtime impact from potential DoS conditions. 8. User Training: Educate local users about the risks of running untrusted scripts or data through gnuplot to reduce accidental triggering of the vulnerability.