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GamsApplication

CVE-2025-41086

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 48.7.0 / 49.7.0 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Vulnerability in the access control system of the GAMS licensing system that allows unlimited valid licenses to be generated, bypassing any usage restrictions. The validator uses an insecure checksum algorithm; knowing this algorithm and the format of the license lines, an attacker can recalculate the checksum and generate a valid license to grant themselves full privileges without credentials or access to the source code, allowing them unrestricted access to GAMS's mathematical models and commercial solvers.

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 · moderate confidence

The GAMS licensing system uses an insecure checksum algorithm to validate license files. Attackers who understand the algorithm and license line format can recalculate valid checksums to generate unlimited licenses with full privileges, bypassing all usage restrictions and gaining unrestricted access to commercial solvers and mathematical models.

MitigationReplace the insecure checksum algorithm with a cryptographically secure signature mechanism (e.g., HMAC or digital signatures) using proper key management, and implement license revocation capabilities.

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
GamsApplication
Affected:< 48.7.0>= 49.1.0, < 49.7.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 GAMS version
    Run 'gams --version' or check the GAMS installation directory for a version file. Compare the version number against the affected ranges: versions < 48.7.0 OR versions >= 49.1.0 but < 49.7.0
    Affected if The installed version falls within < 48.7.0 or >= 49.1.0 to < 49.7.0
  2. Locate the GAMS license file
    Check for a license file typically named 'gamslice.txt' or 'gamslice.dat' in the GAMS system directory, user's home directory, or location specified by the GAMSLIC environment variable
    Affected if A GAMS license file exists and the system relies on checksum validation for license integrity
  3. Inspect license file structure
    Open the license file and examine its format. Look for a license line containing a numerical checksum or hash value that validates the license data
    Affected if The license file contains a checksum field rather than a cryptographic signature (HMAC or digital signature)
  4. Verify checksum algorithm weakness
    Examine how the license validation behaves. If license files can be modified and a recalculated checksum restores validity, the insecure algorithm is in use. Check if generating a new license with modified privileges is possible by simply recomputing a checksum
    Affected if License validation relies solely on a weak checksum algorithm that can be reverse-engineered and recalculated

You are affected if you run GAMS versions < 48.7.0 or >= 49.1.0 but < 49.7.0 and your license file uses a non-cryptographic checksum for validation rather than a secure signature mechanism.

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 48.7.0 / 49.7.0 or later
Fixed in 48.7.049.7.0
Interim mitigation

Replace the insecure checksum algorithm with a cryptographically secure signature mechanism (e.g., HMAC or digital signatures) using proper key management, and implement license revocation capabilities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

GAMS 48.7.0 (for versions < 48.7.0) or GAMS 49.7.0 (for versions 49.1.0 - 49.6.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed GAMS version using 'gams --version' or checking the installation directory
  2. 2. For GAMS versions < 48.7.0: Plan upgrade to version 48.7.0 or later
  3. 3. For GAMS versions >= 49.1.0 and < 49.7.0: Plan upgrade to version 49.7.0 or later
  4. 4. Backup existing GAMS installation and any custom license files before upgrading
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official GAMS website (www.gams.com)
  6. 6. Install the new version following standard GAMS installation procedures
  7. 7. Re-apply any custom configuration settings after installation
  8. 8. Validate the license system is functioning correctly with the new installation
Caveat Review GAMS release notes for the target version to check for any syntax changes or feature modifications that may affect existing models

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Gams Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation32.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
64.0 hours of engineering $11,200
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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-2025-41086 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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