CVE-2025-7425 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability identified in the libxslt library component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The flaw arises due to improper modification of internal attributes—specifically the attribute type (atype) and flags—within libxslt's processing of XSLT functions such as key(). These functions can produce tree fragments, and due to the corrupted internal memory management, the cleanup of ID attributes is not correctly performed. This leads to the system accessing memory that has already been freed, resulting in use-after-free conditions. Such conditions can cause application or system crashes and potentially allow attackers to trigger heap corruption. Heap corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges if exploited successfully. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, indicating high severity, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), scope changed (S:C), no confidentiality impact (C:N), high integrity impact (I:H), and high availability impact (A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability's nature and impact suggest that exploitation could lead to significant system compromise or denial of service on affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems.

For European organizations relying on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, particularly in environments where libxslt is used for XML transformations, such as web services, middleware, or enterprise applications. The use-after-free flaw could be exploited by local attackers or malicious insiders to cause system crashes or corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution. This could disrupt critical business operations, compromise data integrity, and affect service availability. Given the high integrity and availability impacts, organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure in Europe could face operational disruptions and increased risk of data breaches. The local attack vector and high attack complexity suggest that exploitation requires some level of access and expertise, but no privileges or user interaction are needed, which lowers the barrier for attackers with local access. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as threat actors may develop exploits over time.

European organizations should prioritize patching and updating libxslt and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems as soon as official patches become available from Red Hat. In the interim, organizations should implement strict access controls to limit local access to trusted users only, reducing the risk of exploitation by unauthorized personnel. Monitoring and logging of system and application behavior related to XML processing and libxslt usage should be enhanced to detect anomalous activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Employing memory protection mechanisms such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) can help mitigate exploitation impact. Additionally, organizations should review and restrict the use of XSLT functions that generate tree fragments or rely heavily on key() processing where feasible. Conducting internal audits to identify systems running vulnerable versions and isolating or segmenting critical systems can further reduce exposure. Finally, maintaining up-to-date incident response plans that include scenarios involving memory corruption vulnerabilities will improve readiness to respond to potential exploitation.