CVE-2025-7989: Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt · Out-of-bounds Read
Affects Ashlar-Vellum CobaltSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:29 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Sep 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
Given the lack of an official patch at the time of disclosure, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restricting the opening of AR files to trusted sources only and educating users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious files. 2) Employing application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to isolate Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt processes, limiting the impact of potential exploitation. 3) Monitoring network and endpoint logs for unusual activity related to the Cobalt application, such as unexpected file accesses or process behaviors. 4) Implementing strict email filtering and attachment scanning to block malicious AR files from reaching end users. 5) Preparing incident response plans specifically for potential exploitation scenarios involving this vulnerability. Once a vendor patch is released, prioritize immediate testing and deployment. Additionally, consider virtual patching via intrusion prevention systems that can detect and block malformed AR file parsing attempts. Regularly update threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploit indicators related to CVE-2025-7989.
Description
Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt AR File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read 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 AR files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated data structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25943.