CVE-2025-6297 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the Debian package management tool dpkg, specifically the dpkg-deb component responsible for handling Debian package archives (.deb files). The vulnerability arises because dpkg-deb does not properly sanitize directory permissions when extracting the control member into a temporary directory. Although this extraction process is generally considered safe, even when handling untrusted data, the improper permission handling can cause temporary files to remain after cleanup. When dpkg-deb is executed repeatedly and automatically on adversarial .deb packages or packages containing highly compressible files, and these files are placed inside directories with permissions that prevent non-root users from removing them, it can lead to disk quota exhaustion or disk full conditions. This results in a denial-of-service (DoS) scenario, where the system's storage resources are depleted, potentially impacting system stability and availability. The vulnerability is identified with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, indicating high severity. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N) indicates that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without privileges or user interaction, has low attack complexity, and impacts confidentiality significantly, with limited integrity impact and no availability impact directly. The underlying weaknesses correspond to CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) and CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches are linked at the time of publication. This vulnerability primarily affects Debian-based systems using dpkg for package management, which is common in many Linux distributions. The exploitation scenario involves adversaries crafting malicious .deb packages that, when processed by dpkg-deb, cause accumulation of temporary files that cannot be cleaned up due to restrictive directory permissions, eventually exhausting disk space and causing denial of service.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk especially for those relying on Debian-based Linux distributions for critical infrastructure, servers, or development environments. The denial-of-service condition caused by disk space exhaustion can disrupt automated package management processes, continuous integration/deployment pipelines, and system updates, potentially leading to service outages or degraded performance. Confidentiality impact is rated high because the vulnerability involves improper handling of files and permissions, which could theoretically expose sensitive temporary files if combined with other attack vectors, although the primary impact is resource exhaustion. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the threat level, particularly in environments where automated package processing is routine. Organizations with automated systems that download and install packages from untrusted or less controlled sources are at higher risk. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests that immediate widespread attacks are unlikely, but proactive mitigation is critical to prevent future exploitation. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack to disrupt services or as a distraction while other attacks are carried out.

To mitigate CVE-2025-6297, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately monitor and audit dpkg-deb usage, especially automated package extraction processes, to detect unusual accumulation of temporary files or disk usage spikes. 2) Restrict the sources of .deb packages to trusted repositories and avoid processing untrusted or adversarial packages in automated workflows. 3) Implement strict directory permission policies ensuring that temporary directories used by dpkg-deb are owned and writable only by trusted users, preventing scenarios where non-root users cannot remove temporary files. 4) Employ disk quota monitoring and alerting to detect early signs of disk space exhaustion, enabling rapid response before service disruption occurs. 5) Where possible, isolate package extraction processes in sandboxed or containerized environments with controlled resource limits to contain potential abuse. 6) Stay updated with Debian security advisories and apply patches promptly once available. 7) Consider implementing cleanup scripts or automated maintenance tasks that periodically remove stale temporary files related to dpkg-deb operations. 8) Review and harden system-wide temporary directory configurations to prevent unauthorized file retention. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on operational controls, permission management, and proactive monitoring tailored to the vulnerability's exploitation method.