CVE-2025-5915 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the libarchive library, which is used for reading and writing various archive formats. The flaw arises because the size of a filter block can exceed the Lempel-Ziv-Storer-Schieber (LZSS) window size, causing the library to read beyond the allocated heap buffer. This out-of-bounds read can lead to unpredictable program behavior, including application crashes (resulting in denial of service) or the potential disclosure of sensitive information from adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability specifically affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, where libarchive is a common component for handling compressed archives. The CVSS score is 3.9 (low severity), reflecting that exploitation requires local access with low privileges and user interaction, and results primarily in limited confidentiality impact and availability impact. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability does not affect integrity, and the scope remains unchanged as the flaw is local to the affected process. The risk mainly concerns local users who can supply crafted archive files to vulnerable applications using libarchive, potentially causing crashes or information leaks.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-5915 is relatively limited due to its low severity and local attack vector. However, organizations relying on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 in environments where users can process untrusted archive files (e.g., file servers, developer workstations, or CI/CD pipelines) could face denial of service conditions or inadvertent leakage of sensitive memory contents. This could disrupt operations or expose sensitive data in memory, such as credentials or cryptographic keys, if adjacent memory contains such information. The threat is mitigated by the requirement for local access and user interaction, reducing the risk of remote exploitation. Nonetheless, in high-security environments or critical infrastructure sectors, even low-severity vulnerabilities warrant attention to maintain system integrity and availability.

To mitigate CVE-2025-5915, European organizations should: 1) Apply patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they become available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 to address the libarchive vulnerability. 2) Restrict local user permissions to limit who can execute or process archive files using vulnerable libarchive versions, minimizing exposure. 3) Implement strict file validation and scanning policies to prevent untrusted or malformed archive files from being processed by critical systems. 4) Monitor system logs and application behavior for crashes or anomalies related to archive processing, which could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Employ memory protection mechanisms such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and heap protections to reduce the impact of buffer over-read vulnerabilities. 6) Educate users about the risks of processing untrusted archive files and enforce policies to avoid opening suspicious archives.