CVE-2023-40222
Memory Safety in Ashlar Cobalt ≤ 12.4.1204.200
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-40222 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Ashlar Cobalt. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked at the 10th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
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-2023-40222 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt versions prior to v12 SP2 Build (1204.200). The issue arises from a lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during the parsing of CO files, which can trigger the overflow. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2025-02-04.
A local attacker with no privileges required can exploit this vulnerability by tricking a user into opening a maliciously crafted CO file through the affected application. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process, potentially leading to high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
The CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-23-299-03, available at https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-299-03, provides details on mitigation strategies for this vulnerability.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-44819
Vulnerability Data
In Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt versions prior to v12 SP2 Build (1204.200), the affected application lacks proper validation of user-supplied data when parsing CO files. This could lead to a heap-based buffer overflow. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary…
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code in the context of the current process.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.4.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and memory-error detectors) can discover heap overflows after they have been coded.
Input validation enforces bounds checking on data written to heap buffers, directly stopping the overflow condition from being introduced.
Security engineering principles require use of memory-safe constructs and bounds-checked allocation routines that avoid introducing heap overflows.
Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability of a heap overflow to execute attacker-controlled code or corrupt adjacent structures.
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.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.
Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.
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.