Overview
A critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability has been identified in AIS-catcher, a multi-platform AIS receiver. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-66216, affects versions prior to 0.64. The issue resides within the AIS::Message class and allows a malicious actor to potentially overwrite sensitive memory, leading to unpredictable behavior or even remote code execution. Users of AIS-catcher are strongly advised to update to version 0.64 immediately.
Technical Details
CVE-2025-66216 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability located in the AIS::Message class of AIS-catcher. Specifically, the vulnerability allows an attacker to write approximately 1KB of arbitrary data into a buffer that is only 128 bytes in size. This oversized write occurs due to insufficient bounds checking when processing incoming AIS messages. Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory regions on the heap, potentially leading to control of program execution flow.
CVSS Analysis
Due to lack of the CVSS score we are assessing the score with the potential vector attack, further investigation is needed to determine the precise CVSS score for this vulnerability. However, given the nature of a heap buffer overflow and the potential for remote code execution, the severity is considered to be HIGH. A CVSS score will be updated once the official data is available. This will affect availability, integrity, and confidentiality.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-66216 could have significant consequences, including:
- Denial of Service (DoS): The vulnerability could be exploited to crash the AIS-catcher application, disrupting maritime monitoring operations.
- Remote Code Execution (RCE): An attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected system, allowing them to gain complete control.
- Data Corruption: Overwriting adjacent memory regions could corrupt critical data, leading to unpredictable system behavior.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The vulnerability is patched in AIS-catcher version 0.64. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to this version as soon as possible. The upgrade can be obtained from the official AIS-catcher GitHub repository. To upgrade, follow these steps:
- Visit the AIS-catcher GitHub repository.
- Download the latest version (0.64 or later).
- Follow the installation instructions provided in the README file.
If upgrading is not immediately possible, consider temporarily disabling AIS-catcher or implementing network-level access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious AIS messages.
References
AIS-catcher Commit 3de0ef785fc3c96265a71b37df7b0a82cb279312
AIS-catcher Security Advisory GHSA-v53x-f5hh-g2g6
