CVE-2025-54487
📋 TL;DR
A critical stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in libbiosig's MFER parsing allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious MFER files. This affects libbiosig 3.9.0 and the master branch (35a819fa), potentially impacting any application or system using this library for biomedical signal processing.
💻 Affected Systems
- The Biosig Project libbiosig
📦 What is this software?
Libbiosig by Libbiosig Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with remote code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or complete system takeover.
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within the context of the vulnerable application.
If Mitigated
Application crash with no code execution if exploit attempts are blocked or fail.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability details are publicly disclosed, making exploitation likely. No public exploit code is confirmed yet.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Monitor The Biosig Project for security updates. 2. Apply patches when available. 3. Rebuild/redeploy applications using libbiosig.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable MFER file processing
allConfigure applications to reject or not process MFER files if not required.
Input validation for MFER files
allImplement strict validation of MFER file headers before passing to libbiosig.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate systems using libbiosig from untrusted networks and users.
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check libbiosig version: 'biosig-tools --version' or examine source code for commit 35a819fa or version 3.9.0.Check Version:
biosig-tools --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify updated version after patch is released and confirm MFER parsing handles len values properly.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing MFER files
- Unexpected process execution from libbiosig applications
Network Indicators:
- Inbound transfers of MFER files to vulnerable systems
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND (message="*libbiosig*" OR message="*MFER*" OR message="*segmentation fault*")