CVE-2026-5496
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 · uneditedLabcenter Electronics Proteus PDSPRJ File Parsing Type Confusion Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Labcenter Electronics Proteus. 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 PDSPRJ 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-25717.
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 confidenceLabcenter Electronics Proteus contains a type confusion vulnerability in its PDSPRJ file parser. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data when parsing project files, allowing an attacker to trigger a type confusion condition that leads to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction via opening a malicious PDSPRJ file.
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= 8.17CVSS 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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Check if Proteus is installedSearch common installation directories for Labcenter Proteus, or check registry entries under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus for installed version information.Affected if Proteus software is found on the system.
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Identify the installed Proteus versionLocate the Proteus executable (typically named PROSPICE.exe or similar in the Proteus installation folder) and check its file properties for version information, or query the application via command line if available.Affected if The installed version is 8.17.
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Verify PDSPRJ file associationCheck if .pdsprj file extension is associated with Proteus by examining file associations in the system, or attempt to open a PDSPRJ file with the installed Proteus application.Affected if PDSPRJ files can be opened by the installed Proteus application.
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Assess exposure to untrusted PDSPRJ filesSearch the file system for any PDSPRJ files in download folders, email attachments, or network shares that may be untrusted or from unknown sources.Affected if Untrusted or malicious PDSPRJ files exist and can be opened by the vulnerable application.
The user is affected if Labcenter Proteus version 8.17 is installed and capable of opening PDSPRJ project files, as the type confusion vulnerability exists in the file parser.
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 dataUpdate to a patched version of Proteus that addresses the type confusion vulnerability in PDSPRJ file parsing. Until a patch is available, exercise caution with untrusted PDSPRJ files and consider running Proteus in an isolated environment.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-5496 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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