CVE-2025-7990
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 VC6 File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write 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 user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated data structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25944.
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 out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the VC6 file parser of Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt. The parser fails to properly validate user-supplied data from VC6 files, allowing an attacker to write past the end of an allocated buffer. This can be leveraged to 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 dataall versionsCVSS 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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Confirm Ashlar Cobalt is installedLook for Ashlar Cobalt in the system Program Files directory (typically C:\Program Files\Ashlar or C:\Program Files (x86)\Ashlar) or check Add/Remove Programs for an Ashlar Cobalt entryAffected if Ashlar Cobalt software is present on the system
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Identify the installed versionLocate the Cobalt executable (commonly Cobalt.exe or similar) in the installation folder, right-click and select Properties, then view the Details tab for the version number, or run the program and check Help > AboutAffected if Any version of Ashlar Cobalt is installed (all versions are affected)
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Check for VC6 file import capabilityLaunch Ashlar Cobalt and attempt to access the file open dialog, or look for VC6 file type associations registered in the Windows registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for .vc6 extensionsAffected if The VC6 file parser/import feature is present and accessible in the software
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Detect recent VC6 file activityCheck the application's recent files list, temporary directories (such as %TEMP%\Ashlar), or Windows Jump Lists for recently opened .vc6 filesAffected if VC6 files have been opened or imported into the software, indicating active use of the vulnerable parser
A user is affected if Ashlar Cobalt is installed and the VC6 file parser feature is available or has been used to open VC6 files, since all versions contain the vulnerability.
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 untrusted VC6 files from unknown or unverified sources. Implement file sandboxing and employ antivirus scanning for file imports. The vendor should release a patch implementing proper bounds checking in the VC6 file parsing routine.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-7990 — 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-2025-7990 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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