CVE-2025-53012
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-53012 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in MaterialX library versions before 1.39.3 where unlimited nested file imports can cause stack exhaustion and process crashes. This affects any application or renderer using MaterialX for material exchange. Attackers can craft malicious MaterialX files to crash vulnerable systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- MaterialX library
- Applications using MaterialX for material exchange
- Renderers integrating MaterialX
📦 What is this software?
Materialx by Linuxfoundation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete denial-of-service rendering applications unusable, potential data loss if crashes occur during critical operations, and service disruption in production environments.
Likely Case
Application crashes when processing specially crafted MaterialX files, leading to temporary service interruption and potential workflow disruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or workarounds implemented; normal operation continues with proper input validation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the target to process a malicious MaterialX file; no authentication needed if file processing is accessible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.39.3
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/security/advisories/GHSA-qc2h-74x3-4v3w
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update MaterialX library to version 1.39.3 or later. 2. Rebuild applications using the updated library. 3. Restart affected services or applications.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation for import depth
allImplement custom validation to limit nested import depth before processing MaterialX files
Implement file parsing with depth counter; reject files exceeding configured limit (e.g., 100 imports)
Sandbox file processing
allIsolate MaterialX file parsing in separate processes with resource limits
Use containerization or process isolation with stack size limits
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation to reject MaterialX files with excessive nested imports
- Monitor for crashes and implement automatic restart mechanisms for affected services
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check MaterialX library version; if version < 1.39.3, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
Check library documentation or build configuration for MaterialX versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify MaterialX library version is 1.39.3 or later and test with nested import files📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with stack overflow errors
- MaterialX parsing failures
- Process termination during file import
Network Indicators:
- Unusually large MaterialX file transfers
- Multiple import requests to MaterialX endpoints
SIEM Query:
search 'MaterialX' AND ('crash' OR 'stack overflow' OR 'import error')🔗 References
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/blob/main/documents/Specification/MaterialX.Specification.md#mtlx-file-format-definition
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/pull/2233/commits/6182c07467297416a30d148ab531d81198686dc5
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/releases/tag/v1.39.3
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/security/advisories/GHSA-qc2h-74x3-4v3w
