CVE-2025-49175 is a vulnerability identified in the X Rendering extension of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, specifically related to the handling of animated cursors. The flaw arises when a client connecting to the X server provides zero cursors, but the server's code erroneously assumes that at least one cursor is present. This logic error results in an out-of-bounds read operation, which can cause the X server process to crash, leading to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1, indicating medium severity. The vector metrics specify that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts availability (A:H) with limited confidentiality impact (C:L) and no integrity impact (I:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U). There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication. The vulnerability affects graphical environments using the X Rendering extension on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems, which are common in enterprise and server environments. The flaw could be exploited by a local attacker to crash the X server, potentially disrupting user sessions and services dependent on graphical interfaces. Since the vulnerability requires local access and low privileges, it could be leveraged by unprivileged users or processes on the affected system. The absence of user interaction simplifies exploitation in scenarios where an attacker has some foothold on the system. No patches or mitigation links were provided at the time of reporting, but Red Hat is expected to release updates addressing this issue. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but poses a risk to system availability, particularly for systems relying on graphical interfaces for critical operations.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-49175 is the potential for denial-of-service attacks against systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 with graphical environments using the X Rendering extension. This could disrupt business operations, especially in sectors relying on graphical user interfaces for monitoring, control, or user access, such as financial institutions, research centers, and public administration. The availability impact could extend to critical infrastructure systems that use RHEL 10 in desktop or workstation roles. Since the vulnerability requires local access, the risk is higher in environments where multiple users have access to the same system or where attackers can gain initial foothold through other means. The limited impact on confidentiality and integrity reduces the risk of data breaches or unauthorized data modification. However, repeated crashes could lead to operational downtime and increased support costs. Organizations with remote desktop or graphical access services should be particularly vigilant. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for proactive mitigation.

1. Apply official patches from Red Hat as soon as they become available to address the out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the X Rendering extension. 2. Restrict local access to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, limiting user accounts and enforcing strict access controls to reduce the attack surface. 3. Disable or restrict the use of the X Rendering extension or animated cursors if they are not required for business operations, thereby eliminating the vulnerable code path. 4. Monitor system logs and X server stability for signs of crashes or unusual behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Employ mandatory access controls (e.g., SELinux) to limit the capabilities of local users and processes interacting with the X server. 6. For remote access scenarios, use secure tunneling and multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized local access. 7. Educate system administrators and users about the vulnerability and the importance of reporting any graphical session disruptions promptly. 8. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential denial-of-service incidents.