Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt CVE-2025-11464
HIGHAttack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessDeliver malicious CO file via email or web
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DeliveryUser opens file in Cobalt
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ExploitOversized data copied into heap buffer
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ExecutionHeap overflow corrupts memory
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code as current user
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the victim to open a malicious Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt CO file (or visit a page that serves one) within the Cobalt application - the CO file-parsing code path must process attacker-controlled length data. Limiting factors: mandatory user interaction (UI:R) to open the file, the attack vector is local/file-based rather than network-reachable (AV:L), and the affected product is the specialized Cobalt CAD application (confirmed affected build 12.2.1204.97), so only hosts running Cobalt and actively opening untrusted CO files are at risk. Code executes only in the context of the current (non-elevated) user process, not system-level. |
| Impact | This is a classic client-side code-execution flaw: the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8 HIGH) describes an attack that requires no privileges but DOES require user interaction (UI:R) and is scored local vector (AV:L) because the victim must open a malicious CO file or visit a page that delivers one - despite the title calling it 'Remote Code Execution,' it is not remote-network-reachable without a lure. Multiple signals point to LOW real-world urgency: EPSS is only 0.21% (10th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public proof-of-concept is referenced (only the ZDI advisory). These signals are consistent with one another - a privately disclosed (ZDI/Trend Micro) memory-corruption bug in a niche CAD product with no observed exploitation. The one tension worth noting is between the 'Remote Code Execution' naming and the AV:L/UI:R reality: this is a user-opens-file bug, not a server-side remote exploit, so prioritization should treat it as a targeted social-engineering risk rather than a wormable or mass-exploitable issue. No SSVC decision data was supplied in the input. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malicious Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt CO file with an oversized data field and delivers it via email, a shared project, or a web download, relying on social engineering to get an engineer or designer to open it. When Cobalt parses the file, unvalidated length data is copied into a heap buffer, overflowing it and allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 08, 2026
Heap-based buffer overflow in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt 12.2.1204.97 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code when a user opens a malicious CO file. The vulnerability requires user interaction (UI:R) and executes code in the context of the current user process; despite the 'remote code execution' label, it is not network-reachable without a lure. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS indicates a low likelihood of exploitation (0.21%).
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch has been identified at time of analysis. Monitor the ZDI advisory and Ashlar-Vellum for updates. As a workaround, avoid opening untrusted CO files, especially those received via email or downloaded from the web; implement file-type blocking to prevent CO files from external sources from reaching users (trade-off: may disrupt legitimate CAD file sharing). Run Cobalt with least privilege (non-administrative user) to limit the impact of successful exploitation. Consider application sandboxing or exploit protection features such as Windows Defender Exploit Guard to mitigate heap corruption attacks. Users should exercise caution when opening CO files from unknown sources.
Affects your stack
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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in the parsing of CO files by Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt. When the application processes a CO file, it fails to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying it into a fixed-size heap buffer. An attacker can craft a malicious CO file with an oversized length field, causing a heap overflow that may overwrite adjacent memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The affected product is identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:ashlar:cobalt:12.2.1204.97. This is a client-side vulnerability requiring the victim to open the file, and code execution is limited to the privileges of the current process.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
File must be opened locally by the victim so AV:L and UI:R; no prior auth needed (PR:N); successful parsing yields full in-process code execution, hence C:H/I:H/A:H.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionNVD
Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt CO File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file.
The specific flaw exists within the parsing of CO files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-26628.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity memory corruption flaw in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt 12.2.1204.97 allows code to run on a workstation when a user opens a crafted .CO file, affecting only the privileges of that user rather than the wider network. Leadership should care because there is currently no vendor fix, so every designer or engineer running this version remains exposed until mitigations are in place, and a single lured file open is enough to compromise a workstation and potentially the credentials and data it can reach.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: block .CO files at email and web gateways, remove the .CO file association, run Cobalt as a non-administrative user, apply application allowlisting, restrict file opening to trusted internal sources, and monitor for anomalous child processes spawned by Cobalt until a fixed build is available.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
Affected Products (CPE)NVD
An Out-of-Bounds Write vulnerability is present in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, and Cobalt Share version
In Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt versions prior to v12 SP2 Build (1204.200), the affected application lacks proper validation of
A Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability is present in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, and Cobalt Share v
In Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt versions prior to v12 SP2 Build (1204.200), the affected application lacks proper validation of
Arbitrary code execution and information disclosure in the Ashlar-Vellum CAD/3D-modeling suite (Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Li
Arbitrary code execution and information disclosure in Ashlar-Vellum's CAD suite (Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, and Cob
Arbitrary code execution in the Ashlar-Vellum CAD suite (Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, and Cobalt Share, versions 12.6.
Parsing a maliciously crafted CO design file in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt 12.2.1204.97 (the version identified in the CPE dat
Integer overflow in the XE file-parsing routine of Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt 12.2.1204.97 lets an attacker execute arbitrary
Heap-based buffer overflow in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt during parsing of VS drawing files allows an attacker to execute arbi
Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt AR File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7
Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt VC6 File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB