CVE-2023-44438
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 Argon Uncontrolled Search Path Element Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Ashlar-Vellum Argon. 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 various file types. The process loads a library from an unsecured location. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. . Was ZDI-CAN-21678.
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 uncontrolled search path element vulnerability (DLL hijacking) in Ashlar-Vellum Argon. During file parsing of various malicious file types, the application loads DLLs from an unsecured location that an attacker can control. By placing a malicious DLL in the search path, remote attackers can execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user 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= 12.0.1204.68CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
-
Verify Ashlar Argon installationCheck for Argon installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Ashlar-Vellum\Argon or C:\Program Files (x86)\Ashlar-Vellum\Argon) and confirm the executable argon.exe existsAffected if Argon version 12.0.1204.68 is installed on the system
-
Confirm installed version numberRight-click argon.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the File Version. Alternatively, run: powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Ashlar-Vellum\Argon\argon.exe').VersionInfoAffected if File version shows exactly 12.0.1204.68
-
Identify file parsing triggersReview which file formats Argon opens (e.g., .dxf, .dwg, .plt, .ai, .eps, or other CAD/vector formats supported by Argon). Check File > Open dialog for supported extensionsAffected if Argon is used to open files from untrusted or unknown sources, as the vulnerability triggers during parsing of malicious file types
User is affected if Ashlar Argon version 12.0.1204.68 is installed AND the application is used to open files from untrusted or unknown sources, enabling DLL hijacking during file parsing.
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 dataRestrict DLL loading to secure, trusted directories only (e.g., system directories) and use absolute paths for all library loads. Apply vendor patches when available. Avoid opening untrusted files in the application.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44438 — 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-2023-44438 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
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.
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.
- 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