CVE-2025-46579 is a high-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-94, indicating improper control of code generation, specifically a code injection flaw in the ZTE GoldenDB database product. The vulnerability arises from the ability of an attacker to inject Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) expressions through the GoldenDB interface. DDE is a protocol used for interprocess communication in Windows environments, allowing one application to send commands or data to another. In this case, the injected DDE expressions are embedded in files generated or handled by GoldenDB. When a user downloads and opens such a file, the malicious DDE commands are executed, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system. The affected versions include 6.1.03, 7.2.01.01, and Lite7.2.01.01. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4, reflecting high severity, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring high privileges (PR:H), user interaction (UI:R), scope changed (S:C), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no public exploits are currently known, the potential for exploitation exists given the nature of DDE injection and the requirement for user interaction. The vulnerability can lead to full compromise of affected systems, including unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and disruption of database services. Since GoldenDB is a database product, exploitation could impact critical data stores and backend systems relying on it. The scope change in the CVSS vector suggests that exploitation could affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component, potentially impacting other systems in the network environment.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant. GoldenDB is used in various sectors including telecommunications, finance, and government infrastructure, where ZTE has market presence. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, data corruption, or denial of service, affecting business continuity and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. The requirement for high privileges and user interaction somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where users may open files from untrusted sources or where insider threats exist. The compromise of database integrity and availability can disrupt critical operations, leading to financial losses and reputational damage. Furthermore, the scope change indicates that lateral movement and broader network compromise are possible, increasing the risk to interconnected systems. European organizations with legacy or unpatched GoldenDB installations are particularly vulnerable, and the lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases exposure.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting the handling and opening of files generated by GoldenDB to trusted users and environments only. 2. Implement strict access controls and monitoring on systems running GoldenDB to detect unusual file downloads or executions involving DDE commands. 3. Disable or restrict DDE functionality at the operating system level where feasible, especially on endpoints that interact with GoldenDB files. 4. Employ application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting and blocking suspicious DDE activity. 5. Conduct user awareness training focused on the risks of opening files from untrusted sources and recognizing potential social engineering attempts. 6. Network segmentation should be enforced to limit the scope of potential lateral movement following exploitation. 7. Monitor vendor communications closely for official patches or updates and prioritize their deployment once available. 8. Perform regular audits of GoldenDB configurations and logs to identify any signs of attempted exploitation or anomalous behavior. 9. Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems with signatures or heuristics tuned to detect DDE injection attempts related to this vulnerability.