CVE-2025-49175 is a security vulnerability identified in the X Rendering extension of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The flaw arises from improper handling of animated cursors by the X server. Specifically, when a client provides no cursors, the server incorrectly assumes that at least one cursor is present. This assumption leads to an out-of-bounds read operation in memory, which can cause the X server process to crash. The vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds read, which primarily impacts the availability of the system by causing denial of service through server crashes. The vulnerability requires local access (AV:L) with low complexity (AC:L) and low privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact affects confidentiality minimally (C:L), with no impact on integrity (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 mitigations have been explicitly linked in the provided data. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.1, indicating a medium severity level. The flaw could be triggered by a local attacker or user with limited privileges who can interact with the X server, potentially causing denial of service by crashing the graphical interface or related services dependent on the X server. This could disrupt user sessions, automated processes, or services relying on graphical output, impacting system availability and operational continuity.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-49175 is the potential for denial of service on systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 with the vulnerable X Rendering extension. Organizations relying on graphical interfaces for critical operations, such as financial institutions, government agencies, research centers, and industrial control systems, may experience interruptions if the X server crashes unexpectedly. This could lead to loss of productivity, disruption of services, and potential cascading effects if automated tasks or monitoring systems depend on the graphical environment. Although the confidentiality and integrity impacts are minimal, the availability impact is significant, especially in environments where uptime and stability are critical. Additionally, since the vulnerability requires local access with low privileges, insider threats or compromised user accounts could exploit this flaw to disrupt services. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and potential for denial of service warrant proactive mitigation to maintain operational resilience.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation measures: 1) Apply security updates and patches from Red Hat as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. Monitor Red Hat security advisories closely for patch releases related to CVE-2025-49175. 2) Restrict local access to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, especially limiting access to trusted users and minimizing the number of accounts with the ability to interact with the X server. 3) Employ access control mechanisms such as SELinux or AppArmor to limit the capabilities of processes interacting with the X server, reducing the risk of exploitation. 4) Monitor system logs and X server activity for unusual behavior or crashes that could indicate attempts to trigger this vulnerability. 5) Consider disabling the X Rendering extension or the use of animated cursors if they are not required for operational purposes, thereby reducing the attack surface. 6) Implement robust user account management and session controls to prevent unauthorized local access. 7) Prepare incident response plans to quickly recover from potential denial of service events caused by this vulnerability. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local access, monitoring specific components, and reducing reliance on vulnerable features.