CVE-2022-40640
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 R1. 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 X_B files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read before the start of an allocated data structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-17308.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 R1's X_B file parser. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data allows reading before the start of an allocated buffer, which can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious X_B file).
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2022CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Ansys SpaceClaim installationCheck for Ansys SpaceClaim in the system registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\) or look for SpaceClaim executable in common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v221\SpaceClaim or C:\Program Files\Ansys\SpaceClaimAffected if Ansys SpaceClaim is not installed on the system
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Determine installed SpaceClaim versionOpen Ansys SpaceClaim and navigate to Help > About, or check the version in the uninstall registry entry under DisplayVersion in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Affected if The installed version is any release within the 2022 product line (e.g., 2022 R1, 2022 R2, or version numbers like 22.0, 22.1, etc.)
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Identify X_B file handling capabilityAttempt to open a benign X_B file in SpaceClaim or check file association settings for .x_b extension pointing to SpaceClaimAffected if X_B files are associated with or can be opened by SpaceClaim (this is the attack vector)
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Confirm vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability is triggered when SpaceClaim parses a specially crafted X_B file - check whether users in the environment have the ability to open files from untrusted sourcesAffected if Users can open X_B files from unknown or untrusted sources within SpaceClaim
The environment is affected if Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 is installed AND users can open X_B files, since the vulnerability lies in the X_B file parser and requires only that a user open a malicious file.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataAvoid opening untrusted X_B files from unknown sources. Apply the vendor patch when available to fix the improper bounds validation in the X_B file parser.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-40640 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-40640 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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