CVE-2025-53853
Published: 25 August 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-53853 is a critical-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Libbiosig Project Libbiosig. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 44.1% 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-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
SI-2 mandates timely flaw remediation, directly preventing exploitation by patching the heap-based buffer overflow in libbiosig's ISHNE parsing.
SI-16 enforces memory protections such as ASLR and DEP that mitigate heap buffer overflow exploits leading to arbitrary code execution.
SI-10 requires validation of ISHNE ECG annotation files prior to parsing, reducing the risk of specially crafted inputs triggering the buffer overflow.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Heap buffer overflow in file parsing library directly enables remote arbitrary code execution via crafted input, mapping to exploitation techniques for initial access or client-side execution.
NVD Description
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the ISHNE parsing functionality of The Biosig Project libbiosig 3.9.0 and Master Branch (35a819fa). A specially crafted ISHNE ECG annotations file can lead to arbitrary code execution. An attacker can provide a malicious…
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file to trigger this vulnerability.
Deeper analysisAI
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-53853 and associated with CWE-122, affects the ISHNE parsing functionality in The Biosig Project's libbiosig version 3.9.0 and the Master Branch at commit 35a819fa. The issue arises when processing specially crafted ISHNE ECG annotations files, which can trigger the overflow and enable arbitrary code execution. This flaw has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8, reflecting its critical severity due to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by any unauthenticated attacker with network access, requiring low complexity and no user interaction or privileges. By providing a malicious ISHNE ECG annotations file to an application or system using the affected libbiosig component for parsing, the attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution on the target system, potentially leading to full compromise.
Details on mitigation, workarounds, or patches are available in the Talos Intelligence advisory at https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2025-2232. Security practitioners should review this report for guidance on updating or restricting use of the affected libbiosig versions.
Details
- CWE(s)