Heap corruption via unchecked bit-field bounds
Published Mar 14, 2025 · Updated May 8, 2025
Heap-based buffer overflow in HDF5 1.14.6 allows local users to corrupt process memory by opening a malformed HDF5 file. H5O__dtype_decode_helper accepts bit-field offsets and precision values beyond the element size, so H5T__bit_copy reads past the heap allocation. The public proof of concept requires local h5dump execution and demonstrates a one-byte out-of-bounds read and process crash; code execution is not demonstrated.
Summary
What happened
Heap-based buffer overflow in HDF5 1.14.6 allows local users to corrupt process memory by opening a malformed HDF5 file. H5O__dtype_decode_helper accepts bit-field offsets and precision values beyond the element size, so H5T__bit_copy reads past the heap allocation. The public proof of concept requires local h5dump execution and demonstrates a one-byte out-of-bounds read and process crash; code execution is not demonstrated.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-2309
- Published
- Mar 14, 2025
- Updated
- May 8, 2025
- Vendor
- The HDF Group
- Product
- HDF5
- Classifications
- CWE-119, CWE-122, CWE-787, T1203
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 14, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 8, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.14.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- hdf5_poc3 malformed-file reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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