CVE-2025-7848: Memory Corruption Vulnerability in NI LabVIEW
Stay informed about a critical security vulnerability (CVE-2025-7848) affecting NI LabVIEW. This flaw could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on your system. Read on for details and mitigation strategies.
🔍 TL;DR Summary
A memory corruption vulnerability exists in NI LabVIEW due to improper input validation within the lvpict.cpp file. By enticing a user to open a specially crafted LabVIEW VI (Virtual Instrument) file, an attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected system. This vulnerability impacts NI LabVIEW 2025 Q1 and prior versions.
🚨 Vulnerability Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-7848
- Description: A memory corruption vulnerability, stemming from inadequate input validation in
lvpict.cpp, can be triggered in NI LabVIEW. Successful exploitation allows for arbitrary code execution by persuading a user to open a malicious VI file. - CVSS Score and Vector:
- CVSS v3.1 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)
- CVSS v3.1 Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Explanation: A high severity vulnerability because successful exploitation can lead to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Requires user interaction (opening a malicious file) to trigger the exploit.
- CVSS v4.0 Score: 8.5 (HIGH)
- CVSS v4.0 Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
- Explanation: A high severity vulnerability due to local attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, passive user interaction, and high impact to confidentiality, integrity and availability.
- Exploit Requirements: The attacker needs to convince a user to open a specially crafted VI file.
- Affected Vendor, Product, Version: NI LabVIEW 2025 Q1 and prior versions.
- CWE:
- CWE ID: CWE-1285
- CWE Name: Improper Validation of Specified Index, Position, or Offset
- Explanation: This CWE describes a scenario where software fails to properly validate indexes, positions, or offsets when accessing data, leading to potential out-of-bounds reads or writes, which in this case, causes memory corruption.
📅 Timeline of Events
- 2025-07-29: Vulnerability disclosed and CVE assigned.
🧠 Exploitability & Real-World Risk
While requiring user interaction, the risk is considerable. LabVIEW is used in critical infrastructure and industrial control systems. An attacker targeting these environments could craft a convincing malicious VI file and distribute it through social engineering or other means, potentially gaining control of the LabVIEW environment. The ease of exploitation, requiring only a user to open a file, amplifies the risk.
🛠️ Recommendations
- Apply the Patch: Upgrade to a patched version of NI LabVIEW as soon as it becomes available. Refer to the NI security advisory for specific version details.
- Exercise Caution: Be extremely cautious when opening VI files from untrusted sources. Verify the sender's identity and the file's legitimacy before opening.
- Security Awareness Training: Educate users about the risks of opening files from unknown sources and the potential consequences.
🧪 Technical Insight
The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input data when processing image-related information within LabVIEW's lvpict.cpp file. This lack of validation can lead to the program attempting to write data outside of allocated memory, triggering a memory corruption event. This corruption can be leveraged by an attacker to overwrite critical program data or inject malicious code.
🙌 Credit to Researcher(s)
Credit to NI for identifying and reporting this vulnerability.
🔗 References
🧵 Tags
#NILabVIEW #MemoryCorruption #RCE #CVE-2025-7848 #Security #Vulnerability
Summary: A memory corruption vulnerability exists in NI LabVIEW 2025 Q1 and prior due to improper input validation. An attacker could execute arbitrary code by enticing a user to open a specially crafted VI file. Apply available patches and exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources.
CVE ID: CVE-2025-7848
Risk Analysis: Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution, potentially allowing an attacker to gain complete control of the affected system. This poses a significant risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Recommendation: Apply the patch released by NI as soon as it becomes available. Exercise caution when opening VI files from untrusted sources and educate users about the risks.
Timeline
- 2025-07-29: Vulnerability disclosed and CVE assigned.