CVE-2025-42971 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability identified in SAP SE's SAPCAR utility, specifically affecting versions 7.53 and 7.22EXT. SAPCAR is a widely used archive extraction tool within SAP environments, responsible for handling SAPCAR archive files. The vulnerability arises from an out-of-bounds write condition (CWE-787) when processing specially crafted malicious SAPCAR archives. An attacker can create such a malicious archive that, when extracted by a high-privileged user (such as an administrator) using SAPCAR, triggers out-of-bounds memory read and write operations. This memory corruption can lead to unintended file extraction or overwriting files outside the intended directories, potentially compromising the integrity of the file system. The vulnerability requires local access with high privileges and user interaction (the victim must extract the malicious archive). The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.0, reflecting low impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, due to the limited scope and the requirement for high privileges and user action. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published yet. However, the vulnerability poses a risk in environments where SAPCAR is used to extract untrusted archives, especially by privileged users, as it could be leveraged to overwrite critical files or escalate privileges indirectly.

For European organizations, particularly those heavily reliant on SAP enterprise software, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized modification of critical files on systems running SAPCAR. Although the confidentiality impact is low, the integrity and availability of SAP systems could be affected if attackers overwrite or corrupt important files, potentially disrupting business operations. Given SAP's widespread use in sectors such as manufacturing, finance, and public administration across Europe, exploitation could result in operational downtime or data integrity issues. The requirement for high privileges and user interaction limits the attack vector primarily to insider threats or scenarios where attackers have already gained elevated access. Nonetheless, the risk remains significant in environments with lax controls on archive sources or insufficient monitoring of privileged user actions.

European organizations should implement strict controls on the sources of SAPCAR archives, ensuring only trusted and verified archives are extracted by privileged users. Employing application whitelisting and integrity monitoring on SAPCAR executable and critical system files can help detect unauthorized modifications. Restrict SAPCAR usage to minimal necessary personnel and enforce the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of exploitation. Monitoring and logging extraction activities can provide early detection of suspicious archive processing. Until an official patch is released, consider sandboxing SAPCAR extraction processes or using virtualized environments to isolate the impact of potential exploitation. Additionally, educating privileged users about the risks of extracting untrusted archives is essential. Organizations should maintain close communication with SAP for timely patch deployment once available.