CVE-2025-54472 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Apache bRPC framework's Redis protocol parser affecting all versions prior to 1.14.1. The root cause lies in uncontrolled memory allocation driven by integer values parsed from network data. Specifically, the bRPC Redis parser allocates memory for arrays or strings based on integers read from incoming network packets. If an attacker sends a specially crafted packet with an excessively large integer value, the parser attempts to allocate an unreasonably large amount of memory, leading to a bad_alloc error and crashing the service. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) and CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound). An attempted fix in version 1.14.0 introduced a memory allocation size limit, but due to improper implementation, integer overflow could still bypass this limit, rendering 1.14.0 vulnerable as well, albeit under a different integer range than earlier versions. The vulnerability can be exploited in two main scenarios: when bRPC is used as a Redis server exposed to untrusted clients, or when bRPC acts as a Redis client connecting to untrusted Redis servers. Exploitation requires sending malicious Redis protocol packets over the network, which can be done without authentication if the service is exposed. The recommended remediation is to upgrade to bRPC version 1.14.1, which properly enforces memory allocation limits, or to manually apply the official patch. The patch sets a default maximum allocation size of 64MB, configurable via the gflag redis_max_allocation_size. Users with legitimate Redis requests or responses exceeding this size must adjust this limit accordingly to avoid functional disruptions. No known exploits are reported in the wild as of publication.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of denial-of-service attacks against services using Apache bRPC for Redis protocol communication. Organizations deploying bRPC as a Redis server or client in environments exposed to untrusted networks or third-party services could experience service outages, impacting availability and potentially disrupting critical business operations. Given that Redis is widely used for caching, session management, and real-time data processing, a successful attack could degrade application performance or cause downtime, affecting end-user experience and operational continuity. The uncontrolled memory consumption could also lead to resource exhaustion on affected servers, potentially cascading to broader infrastructure instability. While confidentiality and integrity impacts are limited, the availability impact is high. European industries relying on real-time data services, financial transaction processing, or cloud-native applications integrating bRPC with Redis are particularly vulnerable. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation in exposed scenarios increases the attack surface. Additionally, organizations with strict uptime requirements or those subject to regulatory mandates on service availability (e.g., financial services, healthcare) could face compliance and reputational risks if affected.

1. Immediate upgrade to Apache bRPC version 1.14.1 is the most effective mitigation, as it contains a robust fix for the memory allocation issue. 2. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, manually apply the official patch from the Apache bRPC GitHub repository (PR #3050) to enforce memory allocation limits. 3. Review and restrict network exposure of bRPC services, ensuring that Redis protocol endpoints are not accessible from untrusted networks or the public internet. 4. Implement network-level controls such as firewalls and access control lists to limit connections to trusted clients and servers only. 5. Monitor bRPC service logs and network traffic for anomalous Redis protocol packets that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Adjust the redis_max_allocation_size gflag carefully if legitimate Redis messages exceed the default 64MB limit, balancing functionality and security. 7. Incorporate rate limiting and connection throttling on bRPC Redis endpoints to mitigate potential resource exhaustion attempts. 8. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focusing on bRPC deployments to detect and remediate exposure. 9. Educate development and operations teams about the risks of uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerabilities and secure coding practices for protocol parsers.