CVE-2022-40653
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 write past the end of an allocated data structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18349.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 R1's X_B file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data during file parsing. The lack of bounds checking allows writing past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling remote code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction is required (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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Check if Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 is installedLook for Ansys SpaceClaim in the installed programs list (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check for SpaceClaim.exe in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\SpaceClaim)Affected if Ansys SpaceClaim version 2022 is present on the system
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Identify the exact version of Ansys SpaceClaimOpen SpaceClaim and navigate to Help > About SpaceClaim, or check the version in the program file properties (right-click SpaceClaim.exe > Properties > Details). Compare the version number to 2022 R1.Affected if The installed version is exactly 2022 R1 (the specific affected version)
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Check for X_B file association or recent X_B file usageSearch for .x_b file extensions in recent documents, file associations in the system registry (HKCR\.x_b), or recent file history. Look in the user's recent files folder for any .x_b files.Affected if The system has .x_b file associations configured or .x_b files have been opened with SpaceClaim
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Verify the X_B parser component existsCheck for the existence of SpaceClaim's file parsing modules. Look in the installation directory under the bin or plugins subfolder for components related to X_B or neutral format parsing.Affected if The X_B file parser component is present in the installation (this component contains the vulnerability)
The system is affected if Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 R1 is installed and the X_B file parser component is present, meaning opening a malicious X_B file could trigger the buffer overflow.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch for Ansys SpaceClaim 2022 R1 when available. Until then, avoid opening X_B files from untrusted sources and consider network isolation of systems running the affected software.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-40653 — 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-2022-40653 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
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