CVE-2025-13844: Rapsody Double Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13844 Overview

A Double Free (CWE-415) vulnerability has been identified in Schneider Electric Rapsody that could cause heap memory corruption when an end user imports a malicious project file (SSD file) shared by an attacker. This memory corruption vulnerability occurs when the same memory region is freed twice, potentially allowing attackers to corrupt heap metadata and achieve code execution.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation could lead to heap memory corruption, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution when a user imports a specially crafted malicious SSD project file into the Rapsody application.

Affected Products

• Schneider Electric Rapsody (versions prior to patched release)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-15 - CVE CVE-2025-13844 published to NVD
• 2026-01-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13844

Vulnerability Analysis

This Double Free vulnerability (CWE-415) occurs in Schneider Electric Rapsody when processing SSD project files. A double free condition arises when an application attempts to free the same memory allocation twice. In this case, the vulnerable code path is triggered during the import of a specially crafted malicious project file.

When the second free() operation is executed on already-freed memory, it corrupts the heap's internal data structures. This corruption can be leveraged by an attacker to overwrite critical heap metadata, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The attack requires local access and user interaction—specifically, the victim must be tricked into importing the attacker-supplied SSD file.

The local attack vector means the attacker needs to deliver the malicious file to the target system through social engineering, network shares, or other delivery mechanisms. Once the file is imported, the heap corruption occurs automatically during the file parsing process.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Rapsody's SSD file parsing routines. The application fails to properly track memory allocation states, resulting in the same memory pointer being passed to the deallocation function multiple times. This typically occurs when error handling paths or cleanup routines do not properly nullify pointers after freeing, or when complex object lifecycles lead to redundant deallocation calls.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access with user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious SSD project file designed to trigger the double free condition during import. The attacker then needs to convince the target user to import this file into their Rapsody installation. This could be accomplished through:

1. Social engineering tactics such as phishing emails with attached project files
2. Compromising shared network locations where legitimate project files are stored
3. Supply chain attacks targeting project file repositories

Once the victim imports the malicious file, the double free condition corrupts heap memory, potentially allowing the attacker to gain control of program execution and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Rapsody application.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13844

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or instability in Rapsody application during project file import operations
• Memory corruption errors or access violations logged in system event logs
• Presence of unusual or unexpected SSD project files from untrusted sources
• Application crash dumps indicating heap corruption in Rapsody process memory

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Rapsody application crashes that occur specifically during file import operations
• Implement file integrity monitoring for directories containing SSD project files
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying heap corruption exploitation attempts
• Review application logs for repeated failures during project file parsing

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced logging for file operations in Rapsody application where available
• Monitor email attachments and file downloads for SSD files from untrusted sources
• Implement user behavior analytics to detect unusual project file import patterns
• Configure SentinelOne to monitor Rapsody process behavior for exploitation indicators

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13844

Immediate Actions Required

• Only import SSD project files from trusted and verified sources
• Review and validate all project files before importing them into Rapsody
• Restrict file sharing permissions for directories containing project files
• Apply the security patch from Schneider Electric as soon as it becomes available

Patch Information

Schneider Electric has released a security notice addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the Schneider Electric Security Notice SEVD-2026-013-04 for detailed patch information and apply the recommended updates to remediate this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement strict file validation procedures before importing any SSD project files
• Isolate Rapsody installations on dedicated systems with limited network access
• Train users to recognize and avoid suspicious project files from unknown sources
• Consider running Rapsody in a sandboxed environment to limit the impact of potential exploitation

# Recommended: Restrict SSD file access permissions
# Limit who can write to project directories
chmod 750 /path/to/rapsody/projects
chown rapsody_admin:rapsody_users /path/to/rapsody/projects