CVE-2025-7223 in HMITool
Summary
by MITRE • 07/21/2025
INVT HMITool VPM File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of INVT HMITool. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file.
The specific flaw exists within the parsing of VPM files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25044.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2025
The CVE-2025-7223 vulnerability represents a critical out-of-bounds write flaw in INVT HMITool's VPM file parsing functionality that enables remote code execution. This vulnerability specifically affects the handling of VPM (Virtual Process Manager) files within the industrial human-machine interface software, creating a significant security risk for operational technology environments. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data during file processing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the HMITool application processes malicious VPM files without sufficient boundary checks on buffer operations. When parsing these files, the software allocates memory buffers to store parsed data but fails to validate the length and content of incoming data structures. This allows an attacker to craft malicious VPM files that contain oversized data payloads, causing the application to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The vulnerability manifests as an out-of-bounds write condition that can be exploited to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow or injecting malicious code.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to industrial control systems and manufacturing environments where INVT HMITool is deployed. The requirement for user interaction through visiting malicious web pages or opening malicious files reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the threat entirely. Attackers can leverage social engineering techniques to deliver malicious VPM files through phishing campaigns or compromised websites, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where operators frequently access external resources. The remote code execution capability allows attackers to gain full control of affected systems, potentially leading to industrial espionage, production disruption, or safety system compromise.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) and represents a classic buffer overflow scenario that has been documented in numerous industrial control system security incidents. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers can leverage the remote execution capability to establish persistent access and execute additional malicious payloads. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate industrial control systems, deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious content, and ensuring timely patching of affected systems. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and proper memory management practices in industrial software development, emphasizing the need for security-by-design principles in critical infrastructure applications.