CVE-2025-7984 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt version 1204.96, specifically within the AR file parsing functionality. The root cause is the use of an uninitialized variable (CWE-457) during the processing of AR files, which leads to undefined behavior in memory handling. This flaw allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a maliciously crafted AR file or visiting a malicious webpage that triggers the vulnerable parsing routine. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning the attacker must have local access or trick the user into opening a malicious file locally, but no privileges are required (PR:N). The vulnerability is exploitable with low complexity (AC:L) but requires user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component's privileges. The vulnerability can lead to complete compromise of the affected application, potentially allowing execution of arbitrary code, data theft, or system disruption. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating the need for proactive mitigation. This vulnerability is tracked by the Zero Day Initiative as ZDI-CAN-25700 and was published on September 17, 2025.

For European organizations using Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt, particularly in industries relying on CAD or design software, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, enabling attackers to steal sensitive design data, intellectual property, or deploy malware within corporate networks. The requirement for user interaction means phishing or social engineering could be used to deliver malicious AR files. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability could disrupt business operations, cause data breaches, and damage reputation. Organizations in sectors such as manufacturing, engineering, and architecture, which often use specialized design tools like Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt, are at heightened risk. Additionally, the lack of available patches increases exposure time. Given the potential for lateral movement after initial compromise, this vulnerability could serve as an entry point for broader network intrusion campaigns targeting European enterprises.

European organizations should implement targeted mitigation strategies beyond generic advice: 1) Restrict the use of Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt to trusted users and environments, minimizing exposure to untrusted files. 2) Implement strict file validation and sandboxing for AR files before opening them in Cobalt to detect and block malformed or suspicious files. 3) Educate users on the risks of opening files from untrusted sources and enforce policies against opening unsolicited AR files. 4) Monitor network and endpoint activity for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected process execution or memory anomalies related to Cobalt. 5) Employ application whitelisting and privilege restrictions to limit the impact of potential code execution within Cobalt. 6) Coordinate with Ashlar-Vellum for timely patch deployment once available and test patches in controlled environments before widespread rollout. 7) Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect exploitation attempts and contain incidents rapidly. 8) Consider network segmentation to isolate systems running Cobalt from critical infrastructure to reduce lateral movement risk.