CobaltApplication · Ashlar

CVE-2025-2019

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2025-03-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 VC6 File Parsing Heap-based 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 VC6 files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25252.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's VC6 file parser. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying into a heap-allocated buffer, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and potentially execute arbitrary code.

MitigationImplement strict bounds checking and validate data length against allocated buffer size before memory copy operations in VC6 file parsing code. Consider using safe memory copy functions and adding length validation at file parsing entry points.

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:= 12.0.1204.91

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 installation
    Check program files directories (C:\Program Files\Ashlar or C:\Program Files\Cobalt) for Ashlar Cobalt application files, or use system inventory tools to find installed software named 'Ashlar Cobalt' or 'Cobalt'
    Affected if Ashlar Cobalt software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Locate the Cobalt executable (typically cobalt.exe or similar) and check its version properties via right-click > Properties > Details, or query via command line: wmic product where "name like '%Cobalt%'" get version,name
    Affected if Installed version matches exactly 12.0.1204.91
  3. Confirm VC6 file parser component exists
    Search for VC6-related DLLs or parsing modules within the Ashlar Cobalt installation directory (e.g., look for files containing 'vc6' in the filename, or check for file import/parser libraries)
    Affected if VC6 file parser module is present in the installation
  4. Check for VC6 file processing capability
    Attempt to identify if the software can process or import VC6 format files by checking file association settings, import filter lists, or help documentation within the application
    Affected if VC6 file import/parsing functionality is available or enabled in the software
  5. Review crash or error logs for VC6 parsing
    Examine Ashlar Cobalt log directories (typically in AppData or program data folders) for recent error logs, crash dumps, or parsing failures related to VC6 file operations
    Affected if Recent crash or parsing error logs involving VC6 files exist

A system is affected if Ashlar Cobalt version 12.0.1204.91 is installed with the VC6 file parser component present and functional.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement strict bounds checking and validate data length against allocated buffer size before memory copy operations in VC6 file parsing code. Consider using safe memory copy functions and adding length validation at file parsing entry points.

Fix this in Cobalt Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-2019 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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