CVE-2025-29913
Published: 17 March 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-29913 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Nasa Cryptolib. Its CVSS base score is 8.9 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 26.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-29913 is a critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the CryptoLib library, versions 1.3.3 and prior. CryptoLib implements a software-only solution based on the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures (SDLS-EP) for securing communications between a spacecraft running the core Flight System (cFS) and a ground station. The flaw resides in the `Crypto_TC_Prep_AAD` function, where an unsigned integer underflow occurs during the computation of `tc_mac_start_index`. This miscalculation fails to ensure the index stays within the bounds of the `ingest` buffer, resulting in an attempt to access an out-of-bounds memory location and a segmentation fault. The issue is associated with CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) and CWE-191 (Integer Underflow), and it persists in the repository as of commit `d3cc420ace96d02a5b7e83d88cbd2e48010d5723`.
The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical) with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). An attacker capable of sending telecommands (TC) to the affected system—such as a ground station or spacecraft—can supply a maliciously crafted TC frame to trigger the underflow. This leads to a denial of service via segmentation fault or, potentially, remote code execution if the out-of-bounds access allows further exploitation.
The GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/nasa/CryptoLib/security/advisories/GHSA-q4v2-fvrv-qrf6 provides further details on the issue. No specific patches or mitigations are detailed in the available information beyond awareness of the ongoing presence in the repository.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-6608
Vulnerability details
CryptoLib provides a software-only solution using the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures (SDLS-EP) to secure communications between a spacecraft running the core Flight System (cFS) and a ground station. A critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability was…
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identified in the `Crypto_TC_Prep_AAD` function of CryptoLib versions 1.3.3 and prior. This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) or potentially execute arbitrary code (RCE) by providing a maliciously crafted telecommand (TC) frame that causes an unsigned integer underflow. The vulnerability lies in the function `Crypto_TC_Prep_AAD`, specifically during the computation of `tc_mac_start_index`. The affected code incorrectly calculates the MAC start index without ensuring it remains within the bounds of the `ingest` buffer. When `tc_mac_start_index` underflows due to an incorrect length calculation, the function attempts to access an out-of-bounds memory location, leading to a segmentation fault. The vulnerability is still present in the repository as of commit `d3cc420ace96d02a5b7e83d88cbd2e48010d5723`.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability allows remote network exploitation (AV:N, PR:N, UI:N) via crafted telecommand frames to trigger memory corruption leading to RCE or DoS, directly mapping to T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1210 (Exploitation of Remote Services).
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Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Memory protection mechanisms like address space layout randomization and data execution prevention directly mitigate heap buffer overflow exploitation from the integer underflow in Crypto_TC_Prep_AAD.
Validating telecommand frames for proper lengths and structure prevents the unsigned integer underflow that triggers out-of-bounds access in the ingest buffer.
Flaw remediation requires patching the CryptoLib library to fix the tc_mac_start_index underflow calculation in versions 1.3.3 and prior.