CVE-2025-52581 identifies a critical integer overflow vulnerability (CWE-190) within 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 containing manipulated size or length fields that cause integer overflow or wraparound during internal calculations. This overflow can corrupt memory management operations, enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over network vectors where libbiosig processes untrusted GDF files, commonly used in biomedical signal processing applications. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the vulnerability's high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with its low attack complexity and no required privileges. Although no public exploits are reported yet, the critical nature and ease of exploitation make it a significant threat. The Biosig Project is widely used in academic, clinical, and biometric research environments, where GDF files are standard for biosignal data exchange. The lack of an official patch at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate risk mitigation by users. This vulnerability highlights the risks inherent in parsing complex biomedical data formats without robust input validation and integer overflow protections.

The impact of CVE-2025-52581 on European organizations is substantial, particularly for healthcare providers, biomedical research institutions, and companies involved in biometric data processing that rely on libbiosig for biosignal data analysis. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to data breaches involving sensitive patient or biometric data, disruption of critical medical research workflows, or compromise of biometric authentication systems. This could result in loss of confidentiality of personal health information, integrity violations of research data, and availability disruptions of critical healthcare services. Given the criticality of healthcare infrastructure in Europe and stringent data protection regulations such as GDPR, exploitation could also lead to significant legal and financial repercussions. Furthermore, the vulnerability could be leveraged as an initial foothold in targeted attacks against high-value biomedical targets or research centers, amplifying its strategic risk. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the high severity score demands urgent attention to prevent future exploitation.

To mitigate CVE-2025-52581, European organizations should immediately audit their use of libbiosig, identifying all systems and applications that process GDF files. Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement strict input validation and sanitization controls on GDF files, rejecting or quarantining any files that do not conform to expected size and format constraints. Employ sandboxing or isolated environments for processing untrusted GDF files to contain potential exploitation. Monitor file ingestion points for anomalous or unexpected GDF file submissions, and deploy network-level controls to restrict access to services that process these files from untrusted sources. Engage with The Biosig Project community or maintainers to track patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. Additionally, consider employing runtime application self-protection (RASP) or memory protection technologies such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) to reduce exploitation success. Finally, raise awareness among developers and security teams about the risks of integer overflow in parsing libraries and encourage secure coding practices for handling biomedical data formats.