CVE-2023-34301
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 · uneditedAshlar-Vellum Cobalt CO File Parsing Untrusted Pointer Dereference 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 a user-supplied value prior to dereferencing it as a pointer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. . Was ZDI-CAN-17909.
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 untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's CO file parser. The flaw results from lack of proper validation of a user-supplied value before dereferencing it as a pointer during CO file parsing. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious CO files, achieving code execution in the context of the current process.
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< 12.4.1204.200CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Ashlar Cobalt is installedCheck for Ashlar Cobalt in installed programs (Windows: Control Panel > Programs and Features, or search for 'Cobalt' in start menu)Affected if The application is present on the system
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Determine installed Cobalt versionOpen Ashlar Cobalt, then access Help > About or check the application executable properties (right-click executable > Properties > Details) for the version numberAffected if Version is shown as less than 12.4.1204.200
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Verify CO file handling capabilityAttempt to open or import a CO file within the Cobalt application (File > Open, then look for .co file extension in the file browser)Affected if CO files can be opened or imported in the application
You are affected if Ashlar Cobalt is installed and the version is below 12.4.1204.200, and the application can open CO files.
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.
dbcve · scoped12.4.1204.200
Avoid opening untrusted or suspicious CO files. Apply any vendor patches when available. Consider running the application with reduced privileges to limit impact of potential code execution.
Cobalt 12.4.1204.200 or later
- Upgrade Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt to version 12.4.1204.200 or later to address the untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability in CO file parsing
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-34301 — 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-2023-34301 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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