wabt: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
CVE-2025-15411 is a high-severity improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer vulnerability in wabt from WebAssembly, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected wabt versions: 1.0.0; 1.0.1; 1.0.2, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.21% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of wabt you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebAssembly | wabt | 1.0.0; 1.0.1; 1.0.2; 1.0.3; 1.0.4; 1.0.5; 1.0.6; 1.0.7; and 32 more ranges | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 1.9 | Low | CNA (vuldb.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 5.3 | Medium | CNA (vuldb.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 2.0 | 4.3 | Medium | CNA (vuldb.com) |
Official description
A weakness has been identified in WebAssembly wabt up to 1.0.39. This vulnerability affects the function wabt::AST::InsertNode of the file /src/repro/wabt/bin/wasm-decompile of the component wasm-decompile. This manipulation causes memory corruption. It is possible to launch the attack on the local host. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. Unfortunately, the project has no active maintainer at the moment. In a reply to the issue report somebody recommended to the researcher to provide a PR himself.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
- Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
- github.com/WebAssembly/wabt/issues/2679Exploit, Issue Tracking
Third-party and government advisories
- vuldb.com/?id.339332Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- vuldb.com/?submit.719825Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
Other references
- github.com/WebAssembly/wabt/
- vuldb.com/?ctiid.339332Permissions Required, VDB Entry
- vuldb.com/?submit.736404
Other vulnerabilities in wabt
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
Recent Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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