CVE-2023-25261
RCE in Stimulsoft Designer 2023.1 … 2023.1.4
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-25261 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Stimulsoft Designer. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 22% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-25261 is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Stimulsoft Designer (Desktop) 2023.1.4, Stimulsoft Designer (Web) 2023.1.3, and Stimulsoft Viewer (Web) 2023.1.3. The root cause is unrestricted access to the local file system, which permits an attacker to embed source code capable of reading or writing arbitrary directories and files; a malicious report can also store gathered data in a variable and render it during report generation. The flaw is tracked under CWE-94 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8.
An unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit the issue without user interaction by supplying a crafted report that executes arbitrary code, reads or writes local files, and exfiltrates data, resulting in complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected system. The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.1140 with no material increase since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-29223
Vulnerability Data
Certain Stimulsoft GmbH products are affected by: Remote Code Execution. This affects Stimulsoft Designer (Desktop) 2023.1.4 and Stimulsoft Designer (Web) 2023.1.3 and Stimulsoft Viewer (Web) 2023.1.3. Access to the local file system is not prohibited in any way. Therefore, an…
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attacker may include source code which reads or writes local directories and files. It is also possible for the attacker to prepare a report which has a variable that holds the gathered data and render it in the report.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.3.1
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.
Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.
Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.
Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).
PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.
Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.