MaterialX Null Pointer Dereference in MaterialXCore Shader Generation due to Unchecked implGraphOutput
Summary
When parsing shader nodes in a MTLX file, the MaterialXCore code accesses a potentially null pointer, which can lead to crashes with maliciously crafted files.
Details
In source/MaterialXCore/Material.cpp, the following code extracts the output nodes for a given implementation graph:
InterfaceElementPtr impl = materialNodeDef->getImplementation();
if (impl && impl->isA<NodeGraph>())
{
NodeGraphPtr implGraph = impl->asA<NodeGraph>();
for (OutputPtr defOutput : materialNodeDef->getOutputs())
{
if (defOutput->getType() == MATERIAL_TYPE_STRING)
{
OutputPtr implGraphOutput = implGraph->getOutput(defOutput->getName());
for (GraphIterator it = implGraphOutput->traverseGraph().begin(); it != GraphIterator::end(); ++it)
{
ElementPtr upstreamElem = it.getUpstreamElement();
if (!upstreamElem)
{
it.setPruneSubgraph(true);
continue;
}
NodePtr upstreamNode = upstreamElem->asA<Node>();
if (upstreamNode && upstreamHowever, when defining the implGraphOutput variable by getting the output node, the code doesn't check whether its value is null before accessing its iterator traverseGraph(). This leads to a potential null pointer dereference.
PoC
Please download nullptr_implgraph.mtlx from the following link:
https://github.com/ShielderSec/poc/tree/main/CVE-2025-53011
build/bin/MaterialXView --material nullptr_implgraph.mtlx
Impact
An attacker could intentionally crash a target program that uses MaterialX by sending a malicious MTLX file.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | materialx | >= 1.39.2, < 1.39.3 | 1.39.3 |
References
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/security/advisories/GHSA-7qw8-3vmf-gj32
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53011
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/commit/7ac1c71de5187dc29793292b5a8dc6d784192ecf
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX
- https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/MaterialX/releases/tag/v1.39.3
- https://github.com/ShielderSec/poc/tree/main/CVE-2025-53011
- https://pypi.org/project/materialx
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7qw8-3vmf-gj32
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-476- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
materialx- Disclosed
- 31.07.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-1607 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-7qw8-3vmf-gj32 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: materialx
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 4
- First → latest
- 07.2025 07.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Medium 2
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2025: 4
- 2026: 0
-
MaterialX Null Pointer Dereference in MaterialXCore Shader Generation due to Unchecked implGraphOutput this entry
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