CVE-2025-21170 in Substance3D
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2025
Substance3D - Modeler versions 1.15.0 and earlier are affected by a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability that could result in an application denial-of-service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to crash the application, leading to a denial-of-service condition. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-21170 affects Substance3D Modeler versions 1.15.0 and earlier, representing a critical NULL Pointer Dereference flaw that compromises application stability and availability. This vulnerability resides within the software's file processing mechanism where improper input validation leads to unhandled memory access errors during legitimate file operations. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to dereference a null pointer while processing malformed or specially crafted input files, resulting in immediate application termination and complete service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling within the file parsing routines of Substance3D Modeler. When a user opens a maliciously constructed file, the application's internal processing logic fails to properly validate pointer references before accessing memory locations, leading to a segmentation fault or access violation. This behavior aligns with CWE-476 which categorizes NULL Pointer Dereference as a fundamental memory safety issue that occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a null pointer reference. The vulnerability's exploitation requires direct user interaction, making it a client-side attack vector that relies on social engineering or malicious file delivery mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for end users and organizations relying on Substance3D Modeler for 3D modeling and content creation tasks. The denial-of-service condition completely halts productivity and can result in data loss if users are unable to save their work before the application crashes. The vulnerability's exploitation scenario requires user interaction, which means it follows ATT&CK technique T1204.002 for User Execution, where adversaries craft malicious files designed to trigger the application crash when opened. Organizations using Substance3D Modeler in professional environments face potential workflow disruptions and increased support overhead as users encounter unexpected application failures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-21170 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from the vendor, as this represents a critical security flaw requiring urgent attention. Users should avoid opening untrusted files from unknown sources and implement strict file validation procedures before processing content within the application. Network administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of potentially malicious files and establish monitoring protocols to detect unusual application crash patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and defensive programming practices, particularly in applications that process external content. Organizations should also maintain regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues in other software components. Given the nature of the flaw, implementing automated file integrity checks and sandboxed execution environments could provide additional protection layers against similar exploitation attempts.