CVE-2025-25372 in cFS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2025
NASA cFS (Core Flight System) Aquila is vulnerable to segmentation fault via sending a malicious telecommand to the Memory Management Module.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-25372 affects NASA's Core Flight System cFS Aquila, a widely used spacecraft software framework designed for mission-critical applications. This system serves as the foundational software architecture for numerous space missions, providing essential services including command and telemetry handling, memory management, and system monitoring capabilities. The affected Memory Management Module represents a critical component within this framework, responsible for handling memory allocation, deallocation, and management operations that are fundamental to the proper functioning of spacecraft software systems. Given the safety-critical nature of space missions, vulnerabilities in core flight software can have catastrophic consequences for mission success and crew safety.
The technical flaw manifests as a segmentation fault vulnerability that occurs when the Memory Management Module processes a malicious telecommand sent through the spacecraft's communication interface. This type of vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow or improper input validation issue where the module fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming telecommand parameters before processing them. The segmentation fault occurs because the module attempts to access memory locations or execute operations that are either invalid or unauthorized, causing the system to crash and potentially leading to complete system failure. The vulnerability specifically targets the memory management subsystem, which is particularly dangerous as it undermines the fundamental stability and reliability of the entire flight software system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes, potentially compromising mission integrity and safety. When a segmentation fault occurs in the Memory Management Module, it can result in complete system termination, loss of communication with ground control, and potential data corruption within the spacecraft's memory systems. Spacecraft missions often operate with limited redundancy and autonomous operation capabilities, making system stability paramount. The vulnerability could be exploited by adversaries to disrupt mission operations, cause data loss, or potentially gain unauthorized access to critical spacecraft systems. This risk is particularly concerning given that cFS Aquila is deployed on missions where system failures can result in mission loss, significant financial losses, and potential safety risks for crew members on human spaceflight missions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the Memory Management Module. The recommended approach includes adding comprehensive parameter validation checks that verify all telecommand inputs before processing, implementing proper bounds checking for memory operations, and establishing defensive programming practices that prevent unauthorized memory access attempts. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit telecommand injection opportunities, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other modules of the cFS framework. Organizations implementing cFS Aquila should follow established security standards including those outlined in the CWE database under category 129 for input validation issues and consider implementing the ATT&CK framework's techniques for command and control operations to monitor for potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, the system should be designed with fault tolerance mechanisms that can detect and recover from segmentation faults without complete system failure, ensuring continued mission operation even when individual modules encounter issues.