{"id":53720,"date":"2025-06-20T12:54:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:54:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-28T12:32:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:32:33","slug":"cve-2025-47868-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerability-in-apache-nuttx-rtos-repository","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-47868-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerability-in-apache-nuttx-rtos-repository\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-47868: Heap-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in Apache NuttX RTOS Repository<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the realm of cybersecurity, one of the significant and possibly dangerous vulnerabilities that has recently surfaced involves an Out-of-bounds Write which can result in a potential Heap-based Buffer Overflow. This vulnerability was discovered in the Apache NuttX RTOS repository, specifically in an optional standalone program, the tools\/bdf-converter font conversion utility. The risk factor is particularly potent for active users of the bdf-converter when exposed to externally provided user data<\/a>, such as in the case of publicly available automation. This issue could potentially compromise the system or lead<\/a> to data leakage.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-47868
\nSeverity: Critical (9.8)
\nAttack Vector: Remote
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: System compromise and potential<\/a> data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Apache NuttX<\/a> | 6.9 – 12.8.9<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability<\/a> resides in the tools\/bdf-converter font conversion utility of the Apache NuttX RTOS repository. The tool can suffer from an Out-of-bounds Write when handling externally provided user data, leading to a possible Heap-based Buffer Overflow<\/a>.
\nWhen the bdf-converter processes malicious payload present in the user data<\/a>, it can cause the program to write data beyond the intended boundary of a buffer. This could corrupt data, crash the program, or lead to the execution of malicious code<\/a>. This type of attack can be initiated remotely and does not require any particular user<\/a> privileges, but it does require user interaction to be successful.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the nature of the vulnerability, an attacker might exploit<\/a> it by sending a crafted bdf file with malicious payload. The pseudocode might look something like this:<\/p>\n

# Attacker crafts a malicious bdf file\necho \"malicious_payload\" > malicious.bdf\n# Attacker sends the malicious bdf file to the target system\nscp malicious.bdf user@target_system:\/path\/to\/bdf-converter\/input\/\n# User on the target system unknowingly uses the malicious bdf file with the bdf-converter\nbdf-converter -i \/path\/to\/bdf-converter\/input\/malicious.bdf -o \/path\/to\/output<\/code><\/pre>\n
Remember, this code is purely conceptual and serves to illustrate how an attacker might exploit the vulnerability<\/a>. Real-world exploits would likely be more complex and tailored to specific environments.
\nUsers affected by this vulnerability<\/a> are strongly recommended to upgrade to version 12.9.0 of Apache NuttX, which contains a fix for the issue. Alternatively, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation until the patch can be applied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the realm of cybersecurity, one of the significant and possibly dangerous vulnerabilities that has recently surfaced involves an Out-of-bounds Write which can result in a potential Heap-based Buffer Overflow. This vulnerability was discovered in the Apache NuttX RTOS repository, specifically in an optional standalone program, the tools\/bdf-converter font conversion utility. The risk factor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[103],"product":[],"attack_vector":[86],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-53720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-apache","attack_vector-buffer-overflow"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t