dbcve.org
CobaltApplication · Ashlar

CVE-2023-39427

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.4.1204.200 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
In Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, and Cobalt Share v12 SP0 Build (1204.77), the affected applications lack proper validation of user-supplied data when parsing XE files. This could lead to an out-of-bounds write. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process.

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

The affected Ashlar-Vellum applications (Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, Cobalt Share v12 SP0 Build 1204.77) fail to properly validate user-supplied data during XE file parsing, resulting in an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. This memory corruption can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches or updates for the affected Ashlar-Vellum products. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted XE files from unknown or untrusted sources.

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:< 12.4.1204.200
GraphiteApplication
Affected:<= 13.0.48
XenonApplication
Affected:< 12.4.1204.200
ArgonApplication
Affected:< 12.4.1204.200
LithiumApplication
Affected:< 12.4.1204.200

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:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Ashlar-Vellum applications
    Check Programs and Features (Windows) or /Applications folder (Mac) for Ashlar Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, or Graphite installations
    Affected if Any of these applications are present on the system
  2. Determine installed version of Ashlar products
    Launch the application and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the application in Add/Remove Programs and select Properties to view the version
    Affected if The displayed version falls below the safe thresholds (Cobalt/Xenon/Argon/Lithium: 12.4.1204.200 or Graphite: 13.0.48)
  3. Compare version against CVE-affected ranges
    Cross-reference the installed version number with: Cobalt/Xenon/Argon/Lithium < 12.4.1204.200 OR Graphite <= 13.0.48
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 12.4.1204.200 for Cobalt/Xenon/Argon/Lithium, or 13.0.48 or lower for Graphite
  4. Verify XE file handling capability
    Confirm the application can open or import .XE files (native Ashlar file format) - attempt to open a sample XE file or check file association settings
    Affected if The application has XE file parsing functionality enabled and can process these files

A user is affected if they have any Ashlar Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, or Graphite version below the safe thresholds AND the application can parse XE files, as the vulnerability triggers during XE file processing.

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 12.4.1204.200 or later
Fixed in 12.4.1204.200
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches or updates for the affected Ashlar-Vellum products. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted XE files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

12.4.1204.200 or later for Cobalt/Xenon/Argon/Lithium; version newer than 13.0.48 for Graphite

  1. 1. Identify the installed Ashlar-Vellum product (Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, Lithium, or Graphite) and current version
  2. 2. For Cobalt, Xenon, Argon, or Lithium: Upgrade to version 12.4.1204.200 or later
  3. 3. For Graphite: Upgrade to a version newer than 13.0.48 (contact Ashlar-Vellum for the specific fixed release)
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the application's version information
  5. 5. Test that XE file parsing functionality works correctly in the upgraded version
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to file format support or workflow compatibility before upgrading

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-2023-39427 — 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-2023-39427 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