CVE-2025-53009 is a medium-severity stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-121) affecting the AcademySoftwareFoundation's MaterialX library, specifically versions 1.39.2 and below. MaterialX is an open standard widely used for exchanging rich material and look-development content across various applications and renderers in the visual effects and animation industries. The vulnerability arises during the parsing of MTLX files containing multiple nested nodegraph implementations. The XML parsing logic in MaterialX can exhaust the stack, leading to a crash of the target program that uses the OpenEXR library. This stack exhaustion is caused by unbounded recursion or excessive nested structures in the MTLX file, which the parser fails to handle safely. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious MTLX file designed to trigger the stack overflow, causing denial of service (DoS) by crashing the application. Notably, this vulnerability does not require any user interaction, authentication, or privileges, and can be triggered remotely if the application processes untrusted MTLX files. The issue has been addressed in MaterialX version 1.39.3, which includes fixes to the XML parsing logic to prevent stack exhaustion. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability's presence in a widely used open standard for material exchange makes it a relevant concern for organizations relying on MaterialX in their rendering pipelines or content creation workflows.

For European organizations, especially those in the media, animation, visual effects, and gaming sectors, this vulnerability poses a risk of service disruption. Applications that utilize MaterialX for material and look-development content exchange could be forced to crash upon processing maliciously crafted MTLX files, leading to denial of service conditions. This can interrupt production pipelines, delay project timelines, and potentially cause financial losses. Since MaterialX is often integrated into complex rendering workflows, a crash could cascade, affecting dependent systems and workflows. Additionally, organizations that share or receive MTLX files from external collaborators or third parties may be exposed if those files are not properly validated. While the vulnerability does not directly lead to code execution or data breach, the availability impact can be significant in time-sensitive production environments. The lack of required privileges or user interaction increases the risk of exploitation if vulnerable versions are used in automated or network-exposed systems.

European organizations should immediately audit their use of MaterialX and identify any instances running versions 1.39.2 or earlier. Upgrading to version 1.39.3 or later is the primary and most effective mitigation. For environments where immediate upgrade is not feasible, organizations should implement strict input validation and sanitization for all MTLX files, especially those received from external or untrusted sources. Employ sandboxing or process isolation for applications parsing MTLX files to contain potential crashes and prevent disruption of critical systems. Monitoring application logs for crashes related to MTLX parsing can help detect attempted exploitation. Additionally, organizations should review their supply chain and collaboration workflows to ensure that all partners are aware of the vulnerability and have applied the necessary patches. Incorporating static and dynamic analysis tools to detect malformed or malicious MTLX files before processing can further reduce risk. Finally, maintaining an incident response plan that includes handling denial of service scenarios related to rendering pipelines will improve resilience.