# CVE-2025-53009: AcademySoftwareFoundation MaterialX stack overflow in XML parsing

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-53009-academysoftwarefoundation-materialx-stack-overflow-in-xml-parsing  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2025-07-31. Updated: 2026-06-11  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2025-53009 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4 · Published 2025-07-31

MaterialX is an open-source library used for describing and sharing rich visual materials in computer graphics and film production. A vulnerability in how the library handles complex files could allow an attacker to crash applications that use this software. By providing a specially crafted material file with excessive nesting, an attacker can cause a service outage or application failure, potentially disrupting production workflows.

Technologies: [MaterialX (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/materialx). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2025-53009 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-53009 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2025-53009?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4, published 31 July 2025.

**Which products and versions are affected?** MaterialX (PyPI) = 1.39.2, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=1.39.2,fixed=1.39.3.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2025-53009?** Yes. MaterialX (PyPI): upgrade to 1.39.3 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2025-53009 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2025-53009?** Check whether you run MaterialX (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- MaterialX (PyPI): upgrade to 1.39.3 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "MaterialX>=1.39.3"
  ```


## Technical details

A stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) exists in MaterialX version 1.39.2 due to a lack of recursion depth limits during XML parsing. The library uses recursive functions to process nested elements like 'nodegraph' within MTLX files. An attacker can provide a malicious MTLX file containing an excessively high number of nested elements to exhaust the stack memory, resulting in a crash (denial of service). The issue is reachable over the network if an application accepts and parses untrusted MTLX files. This vulnerability is addressed in version 1.39.3.

## Affected products

- AcademySoftwareFoundation MaterialX 1.39.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2025-53009
- GHSA-wx6g-fm6f-w822
- PYSEC-2026-1609

## Timeline

- 2025-07-31: disclosed
- 2025-07-31: advisory
- 2025-07-31: patched: Fixed in version 1.39.3

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/suidpit](https://api.github.com/users/suidpit)
- [https://github.com/suidpit](https://github.com/suidpit)
- [https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/repos](https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/25264901?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/25264901?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/suidpit/events%7B/privacy%7D)

## Related threats

- [PYSEC-2026-1608 - MaterialX Lack of MTLX Import Depth Limit Leads to DoS (Denial-Of-Service) Via Stack Exhaustion](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-53012-materialx-lack-of-mtlx-import-depth-limit-leads-to-dos-denial-of)
- [PYSEC-2026-1607 - MaterialX Null Pointer Dereference in MaterialXCore Shader Generation due to Unchecked implGraphOutput](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-53011-materialx-null-pointer-dereference-in-materialxcore-shader)
- [PYSEC-2026-1606 - MaterialX Null Pointer Dereference in getShaderNodes due to Unchecked nodeGraph->getOutput return](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-53010-materialx-null-pointer-dereference-in-getshadernodes)