Overview
CVE-2025-21042 is a severe cybersecurity vulnerability that poses a substantial risk to digital systems and data worldwide. It is found in the libimagecodec.quram.so software component, where an out-of-bounds write error could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. In a world increasingly connected by the internet, such a vulnerability has the potential to impact a wide range of products and services that incorporate this component. This vulnerability is especially concerning because it can potentially lead to system compromise and data leakage, posing a significant threat to data privacy and integrity.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-21042
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Remote Code Execution, Possible system compromise and data leakage
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Product | Affected Versions
libimagecodec.quram.so | Prior to SMR Apr-2025 Release 1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in an out-of-bounds write error in the libimagecodec.quram.so component. In simple terms, an out-of-bounds write occurs when data is written past the end or before the beginning of an intended buffer, which can corrupt data, crash the program, or enable the execution of malicious code. In this case, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted data to the affected system. The improper handling of this data by libimagecodec.quram.so could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, potentially leading to a full system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of a malicious HTTP request that might exploit this vulnerability. The actual exploit would depend on the specific use case and environment.
POST /exploit/cve-2025-21042 HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
{ "overflow_data": "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...[more overflow data]" }In this example, the “overflow_data” is crafted to cause an out-of-bounds write in the libimagecodec.quram.so component. This could potentially overwrite critical data or code in memory, leading to arbitrary code execution.
Mitigation
The best way to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor’s patch for libimagecodec.quram.so as soon as possible. If immediate patching is not possible, temporary mitigation can be achieved by using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these measures only provide temporary protection and do not remove the vulnerability from the affected system. Therefore, patching should be performed as soon as it is feasible.
