CobaltApplication · Ashlar

CVE-2025-8002

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2025-09-17
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 CO File Parsing Type Confusion 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 user-supplied data, which can result in a type confusion condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-26233.

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

A type confusion vulnerability exists in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's CO file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data during file parsing. An attacker can craft a malicious CO file that exploits this type confusion to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the current process.

MitigationRestrict opening of untrusted CO files and implement strict type validation in the CO file parsing logic to ensure proper handling of user-supplied data structures.

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:all versions

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 for the presence of Ashlar Cobalt software: look for installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Ashlar or C:\Program Files\Ashlar-Vellum), check installed programs list, or look for running process 'Cobalt.exe' in task manager
    Affected if Ashlar Cobalt is installed on the system
  2. Confirm CO file parsing capability
    Check if the CO file type association exists: look for .co file extension registration in Windows Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.co or check for recent .co files in user directories (Documents, Downloads, Recent folder)
    Affected if CO file type is registered or .co files have been opened recently
  3. Identify CO file parser component
    Examine the Cobalt installation directory for the CO parser DLL/module (typically named 'COParser.dll', 'CobaltParser.dll', or similar file handling components in the application bin folder)
    Affected if CO file parsing module exists within the Cobalt installation
  4. Check for recent CO file activity
    Review Windows Event Logs under Security or Application logs for recent .co file access events, or inspect the application's recent files list if accessible
    Affected if CO files have been opened or processed by the application

User is affected if Ashlar Cobalt is installed and the CO file parser feature is present or has been used to open CO files, since all versions of Ashlar Cobalt contain the vulnerable CO file parser.

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

Restrict opening of untrusted CO files and implement strict type validation in the CO file parsing logic to ensure proper handling of user-supplied data structures.

Fix this in Cobalt Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2025-8002 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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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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