CVE-2025-52581 is an integer overflow vulnerability classified under CWE-190 found in the GDF (General Data Format for biosignals) parsing functionality of The Biosig Project's libbiosig library, specifically in versions 3.9.0 and the Master Branch (commit 35a819fa). The vulnerability arises when the library processes specially crafted GDF files that contain data designed to cause an integer overflow or wraparound during parsing operations. This overflow can corrupt memory management logic, leading to conditions that allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring any privileges or user interaction, as the attacker only needs to supply a malicious GDF file to a vulnerable system. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The Biosig Project's libbiosig is widely used in biomedical signal processing applications, including EEG, ECG, and other physiological data analysis tools. Exploitation could compromise sensitive medical data, disrupt healthcare services, or allow attackers to gain control over affected systems. No patches have been released at the time of this report, and no active exploits are known in the wild, but the severity demands immediate attention from users of the library.

For European organizations, particularly those in healthcare, biomedical research, and medical device manufacturing, this vulnerability poses a significant threat. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive patient data, manipulation or destruction of critical biosignal data, and potential disruption of medical diagnostic or monitoring systems. This could result in privacy violations under GDPR, operational downtime, and loss of trust. The ability to execute arbitrary code remotely without authentication increases the risk of widespread compromise, including pivoting to other network assets. Given the reliance on biosignal data in clinical and research environments, the impact extends beyond IT systems to patient safety and regulatory compliance. Organizations using libbiosig in their software stacks must consider the risk of targeted attacks and the potential for attackers to leverage this vulnerability to infiltrate critical infrastructure.

Immediate mitigation should focus on isolating and sandboxing any processes that parse GDF files using libbiosig to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Organizations should monitor for updates from The Biosig Project and apply patches as soon as they become available. In the absence of patches, applying strict input validation and filtering to reject malformed or suspicious GDF files can reduce risk. Employing network segmentation to restrict exposure of systems handling biosignal data and implementing intrusion detection systems tuned to detect anomalous file parsing behavior are recommended. Additionally, organizations should conduct code audits and consider alternative libraries or updated forks if available. Regular backups and incident response plans tailored to medical data environments will help mitigate damage if exploitation occurs. Finally, raising awareness among developers and system administrators about this specific vulnerability will ensure timely and effective response.