Fade In
CVE-2025-53814
HIGH
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessDeliver malicious .xml to victim
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DeliveryUser opens file in Fade In
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free in XML parser
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ExecutionCorrupt heap memory
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ImpactExecute code as current user
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation 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 an attacker-supplied, specially crafted .xml file within GCC Productions Fade In 4.2.0, invoking its XML parser (UI:R - mandatory user interaction). It is a local file-processing flaw (AV:L): there is no remote or network-triggered path and no network service to attack. No elevated privileges are needed by the attacker-delivered payload (PR:N), and code executes only in the security context of the user who opens the file. Limiting factors: the target must be running the specific vulnerable 4.2.0 version, the user must actively open the malicious file, and impact is bounded to that user's privileges (S:U, no scope change). |
| Impact | This is a genuine but situational client-side risk, not a mass-exploitation threat. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 7.8 HIGH) describes a local attack requiring the victim to open a malicious .xml file - there is no network remote-exploit path and user interaction is mandatory. Signals are consistent rather than conflicting: POC/exploit code is publicly available (per Cisco Talos references), which raises practical risk, but EPSS is only 0.34% (25th percentile) and the CVE is NOT on the CISA KEV list, indicating no confirmed active exploitation and low modeled likelihood of widespread attack. No SSVC decision data was provided in the input, so exploitation-automatability and technical-impact scoring under SSVC cannot be stated. The high CVSS is driven by full C/I/A impact from arbitrary-code-execution potential via heap corruption, but the local+UI delivery constraint and niche product footprint keep real-world priority moderate. Net: treat as a patch-when-practical issue for environments running Fade In, prioritized above average only because working exploit code exists. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malicious .xml file and delivers it to a Fade In user (e.g., via email, a shared screenplay project, or a download) and persuades them to open it in Fade In 4.2.0. When the application's XML parser processes the file it triggers a use-after-free, corrupting the heap and potentially allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the user. Public exploit/proof-of-concept material is referenced by Cisco Talos (TALOS-2025-2252). |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 08, 2026
A use-after-free in the XML parsing component of GCC Productions' Fade In 4.2.0 lets an attacker corrupt heap memory by getting a victim to open a specially crafted .xml file, with the assessed impact being high confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss in the context of that user. The flaw is a local, user-interaction-dependent (AV:L/UI:R, PR:N) client-side issue rather than a remotely reachable server bug, and publicly available exploit code exists, though there is no confirmed active exploitation (not in CISA KEV). EPSS is low at 0.34% (25th percentile), reflecting the situational, file-delivery nature of the attack; this is a genuine but narrow client-side risk, not a mass-exploitation threat.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch was identified at the time of analysis, and no fixed version number is present in the supplied data, so the primary action is to check GCC Productions' release channels for a Fade In update beyond 4.2.0 and apply it as soon as it is published; consult the Talos advisory TALOS-2025-2252 (https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2025-2252) for any vendor fix reference. Until a patched build is confirmed, treat untrusted .xml files as hostile: do not open XML project assets received from unknown or unverified sources, and validate/scan attachments before use - the trade-off is reduced workflow convenience but it directly removes the UI:R trigger. Where practical, run Fade In inside an OS sandbox, a low-privilege dedicated user account, or a disposable virtual machine so that any heap corruption stays bounded to that context (consistent with S:U); the trade-off is degraded integration with host files and plugins. Ensure the application runs without administrative rights and that generic exploit mitigations (ASLR, DEP, and where supported, CFG/ACG) are enabled, since these raise the difficulty of converting the use-after-free into reliable code execution. There is no network-facing service to firewall or segment, and no authentication control to apply, because the flaw is triggered entirely by local file interaction.
Affects your stack
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) reached through Fade In's XML parsing functionality. When the application parses a crafted .xml document, a heap object is freed but subsequently dereferenced or reused, producing heap-based memory corruption that, per the Talos report (TALOS-2025-2252), can progress to code execution in the security context of the opening user. The same report/telemetry also tags the flaw as a potential buffer overflow and general memory-corruption class issue, consistent with a parser written in an unsafe memory model that does not safely track object lifetimes. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:generalcoffee:fade_in:4.2.0 confirms the affected build is specifically Fade In 4.2.0 on the desktop. Because the vector is AV:L with UI:R, the parser is only exercised when the user opens a malicious file locally - there is no network-facing service component - which materially limits both reachability and scale of any exploitation.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local file-open flaw so AV:L and UI:R; no attacker privileges needed (PR:N); reliable trigger gives AC:L; heap corruption enabling code execution yields C/I/A:H within the user's scope (S:U).
Primary rating from Vendor (cisco).
CVSS VectorVendor: cisco
DescriptionCVE.org
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the XML parser functionality of GCC Productions Inc. Fade In 4.2.0. A specially crafted .xml file can lead to heap-based memory corruption. An attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger this vulnerability.
Executive ViewAI
A memory-corruption vulnerability in Fade In 4.2.0 lets an attacker compromise the workstation of any user who opens a maliciously crafted .xml file, with assessed high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact for that user's data and documents. Publicly available exploit code exists, but the attack is local and requires the victim to open a file, so exposure is limited to individual endpoints rather than shared or internet-facing services. Leadership should care because no vendor patch is currently available, leaving risk mitigation dependent on user behavior, endpoint controls, and vendor timelines outside the organization's direct control.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: block or quarantine inbound .xml files at email and web gateways; disable the .xml file association for Fade In 4.2.0; open untrusted XML only in an isolated or disposable VM/sandbox; apply application allowlisting (WDAC/AppLocker) and EDR monitoring for heap-corruption or anomalous Fade In process behavior; run Fade In under least-privilege accounts; and maintain current offline backups of affected documents. Note: publicly available exploit code exists, but there is no confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV) status.
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.
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB