dbcve.org
CobaltApplication · Ashlar

CVE-2023-34291

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.0.1204.54 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt Out-Of-Bounds Write 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 X_B or X_T 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 buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. . Was ZDI-CAN-18401.

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 confidence

Out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's X_B and X_T file parsing. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during parsing allows writing past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted X_B or X_T files from unknown sources. Apply vendor patches when available and maintain up-to-date antivirus detection for malicious CAD files.

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
CobaltApplication
Affected:< 12.0.1204.54

CVSS 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:3.0/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Ashlar Cobalt is installed
    Check for the presence of Ashlar Cobalt installation directory (typically in Program Files or Program Files (x86)) or look for 'Cobalt' in installed programs via Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
    Affected if Ashlar Cobalt software is found on the system
  2. Determine installed Cobalt version
    Right-click the Cobalt executable (commonly cobalt.exe or ashlar.exe in the installation folder), select Properties, and check the 'Version' tab. Alternatively, open Cobalt and look for version information in Help > About
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 12.0.1204.54
  3. Confirm X_B and X_T file handling is enabled
    Check if the software has file import/export capabilities for X_B and X_T formats enabled. This is typically a default feature in Cobalt used for CAD data exchange
    Affected if X_B or X_T file format support is present in the installation
  4. Inspect recent file activity
    Review the application's recent files list or check temporary directories (such as %TEMP% or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Ashlar\Cobalt) for recently opened X_B or X_T files
    Affected if X_B or X_T files from untrusted or unknown sources have been opened recently

User is affected if Ashlar Cobalt version 12.0.1204.54 or higher is NOT installed AND the software handles X_B or X_T file formats, especially from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.0.1204.54 or later
Fixed in 12.0.1204.54
Interim mitigation

Avoid opening untrusted X_B or X_T files from unknown sources. Apply vendor patches when available and maintain up-to-date antivirus detection for malicious CAD files.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cobalt 12.0.1204.54 or later

  1. Identify the currently installed Cobalt version by opening the application and checking Help > About or the system-installed programs list
  2. Download Cobalt version 12.0.1204.54 or later from the official Ashlar-Vellum website or authorized distribution channel
  3. Ensure all work is saved and close the Cobalt application completely
  4. Run the installer for the new version with appropriate administrator privileges
  5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart the application after installation completes
  7. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About to confirm version 12.0.1204.54 or higher is now running
  8. Exercise caution when opening X_B or X_T files from untrusted sources
Caveat Review release notes for version 12.0.1204.54 to check for any workflow changes or deprecated features that may affect existing projects

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cobalt Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-34291 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-34291 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data