CVE-2025-2017
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 Buffer Overflow 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 the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25240.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's CO file parser. The application fails to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying it into a fixed-size buffer during CO file parsing, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and execute arbitrary code 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= 12.0.1204.91CVSS 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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Verify Ashlar Cobalt installation and versionLocate the Ashlar Cobalt application on the system and determine its installed version. Common methods include checking 'Add or Remove Programs' in Windows Control Panel, using the application's 'About' or 'Help > Version' menu, or querying the application's executable file properties.Affected if The installed version is Ashlar Cobalt version 12.0.1204.91 exactly, matching the affected version.
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Confirm CO file parsing capabilityDetermine if the Ashlar Cobalt application has functionality to open, import, or parse CO (Cobalt Object) files. This is typically a core file format capability of the software.Affected if CO file parsing functionality is present and accessible in the installed version.
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Identify CO file processing activityReview recent file access logs, application recent files list, or system audit logs for evidence of CO file being opened or processed. Check the application's recent documents or file history if available.Affected if CO files have been opened or processed in the application, particularly files from untrusted or unknown sources.
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Check for suspicious file handling behaviorMonitor the application process during CO file opening for unexpected behavior such as crashes, memory corruption indicators, or abnormal process activity that may suggest exploitation.Affected if The application exhibits unstable behavior when opening CO files, which may indicate the vulnerability is present and being triggered.
A user is affected if Ashlar Cobalt version 12.0.1204.91 is installed and CO files are being opened or processed, as the buffer overflow vulnerability in the CO file parser can be triggered 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 dataAvoid opening CO files from untrusted or unknown sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider implementing file type validation and sandboxing as defense-in-depth measures.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-2017 — 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-2025-2017 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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