CVE-2025-54878 | Heap Buffer Overflow in NASA CryptoLib 1.4.0 `Crypto_TC_Check_IV_Setup`

Exp

CryptoLib provides a software-only solution using the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures (SDLS-EP) to secure communications between a spacecraft running the core Flight System (cFS) and a ground station. A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in NASA CryptoLib version 1.4.0 and prior in the IV setup logic for telecommand frames. The problem arises from missing bounds checks when copying the Initialization Vector (IV) into a freshly allocated buffer. An attacker can supply a crafted TC frame that causes the library to write one byte past the end of the heap buffer, leading to heap corruption and undefined behaviour. An attacker supplying a malformed telecommand frame can corrupt heap memory. This leads to undefined behaviour, which could manifest itself as a crash (denial of service) or more severe exploitation. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.0.

Published: 2025-08-11 Last update: 2025-08-27 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-54878 is rated High Exploit Risk (73.5/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.54%). Core evidence: 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2025-54878

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-54878

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-07 0.15% 0.54% +0.38%
2 2026-04-16 0.05% 0.15% +0.10%
3 2025-09-12 0.05%

Full EPSS history (6 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-54878

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.6 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 4.7 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-54878

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-54878

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
nasa cryptolib < 1.4.1 cpe:2.3:a:nasa:cryptolib:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-54878

cvelogic Threat Intelligence