CVE-2025-42994 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the SAP MDM Server version 710.750, specifically within the ReadString function. The underlying issue is classified as CWE-590, which refers to a 'Free of Memory not on the Heap' vulnerability. This type of flaw occurs when the software attempts to free or manipulate memory that was not allocated on the heap, potentially leading to undefined behavior such as memory corruption or access violations. In this case, an attacker can send specially crafted packets to the SAP MDM Server that trigger a memory read access violation. This violation causes the server process to fail and exit unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability impacts availability severely but does not compromise confidentiality or integrity of the application or its data. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.5, reflecting a high severity due to the network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and impact limited to availability (A:H). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches have been linked at the time of publication. The vulnerability was reserved in April 2025 and published in June 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. SAP MDM Server is a critical component in managing master data within enterprise environments, and its unexpected termination can disrupt business-critical operations that depend on consistent and reliable data management services.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for enterprises relying on SAP MDM Server for master data management across supply chains, finance, manufacturing, and customer data integration. The forced termination of the MDM server process due to this vulnerability can lead to service outages, disrupting business continuity and operational workflows. This can affect data synchronization, reporting accuracy, and decision-making processes that depend on up-to-date master data. While confidentiality and integrity are not directly impacted, the availability disruption can cause cascading effects, including delayed transactions, compliance reporting issues, and potential financial losses. Organizations in sectors such as manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and retail—where SAP solutions are widely deployed—may experience operational downtime. Additionally, the lack of required privileges or user interaction for exploitation means that attackers can remotely trigger the DoS condition without authentication, increasing the risk of automated or opportunistic attacks. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the high severity and ease of exploitation warrant proactive measures to prevent potential attacks.

Given the absence of an official patch at the time of disclosure, European organizations should implement several specific mitigation strategies: 1) Network-level filtering: Restrict and monitor incoming traffic to the SAP MDM Server, especially blocking or scrutinizing unusual or malformed packets that could exploit the ReadString function. 2) Segmentation: Isolate the SAP MDM Server within a secure network segment with strict access controls to limit exposure to untrusted networks or users. 3) Monitoring and alerting: Deploy enhanced logging and anomaly detection focused on the SAP MDM Server process to quickly identify crashes or abnormal terminations indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Incident response readiness: Prepare playbooks for rapid recovery and failover of the MDM service to minimize downtime in case of an attack. 5) Vendor engagement: Maintain close contact with SAP for timely updates and patches, and plan for rapid deployment once a fix is available. 6) Application-level hardening: Review and apply any recommended configuration changes from SAP that could reduce attack surface or improve memory handling robustness. 7) Testing in controlled environments: Before deploying patches or configuration changes, conduct thorough testing to ensure stability and compatibility with existing enterprise systems.