Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2025-31181 is a gnuplot flaw where the X11 graphics path can crash the program or system component using it. The published impact is availability only: no data theft or tampering is indicated. Business urgency is moderate, mainly for environments where gnuplot is used in automated plotting, desktop sessions, or workflows where crashes disrupt operations.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate availability risk. It is unlikely to expose sensitive data based on current sources, but it can disrupt plotting workflows. Prioritize according to where gnuplot is operationally important and wait for vendor-confirmed fixes where patch status is unclear.
Technical view
The issue is described as a NULL pointer dereference in gnuplot’s X11_graphics() function, leading to segmentation fault and potential system crash. CVSS 3.1 is 6.2 with local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high availability impact. Affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, and 8 status is listed as unknown in the provided bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on systems with gnuplot installed and using the X11 terminal or graphics functionality. Servers without gnuplot, or deployments not using X11 graphics, are less likely to be affected. The provided sources do not confirm specific vulnerable upstream versions or package fix levels.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The CVSS vector indicates local exploitation with no privileges and no user interaction, but sources only describe crash behavior, not a broader compromise path.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, Red Hat references, and upstream SourceForge bug. The bundle does not provide a confirmed patch, vulnerable version range, or exploit details. Avoid assuming all gnuplot deployments are affected; validate against vendor package status and usage of X11 graphics.
Mitigation direction
- Check Red Hat and gnuplot upstream guidance for fixed package availability.
- Inventory systems with gnuplot installed, especially those using X11 graphics output.
- Prioritize update testing where gnuplot supports automated or business-critical workflows.
- Limit use of X11 graphics paths if operationally feasible until vendor guidance is clear.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed gnuplot packages and versions on managed Linux systems.
- Identify scripts, batch jobs, or users relying on gnuplot X11 output.
- Review vendor advisories for affected status and remediation for your distribution.
- Monitor Red Hat Bugzilla and SourceForge issue 2753 for fix details.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-31181 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.53.6redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-31181CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2355338CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://sourceforge.net/p/gnuplot/bugs/2753/CVE reference, redhat
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.