https://feed.craftedsignal.io/cpes/cpe2.3aopenbabelopen_babel/Trending threats, MITRE ATT&CK coverage, and detection metadata. Fed continuously.Hugoenhello@craftedsignal.iohello@craftedsignal.ioFri, 03 Jul 2026 13:02:04 +0000https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-07-open-babel-heap-buffer-overflow/Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:02:04 +0000hello@craftedsignal.iohttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-07-open-babel-heap-buffer-overflow/A heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2025-10996) in Open Babel's `OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles` function allows attackers to achieve denial of service or arbitrary code execution by crafting and supplying a malformed SMILES input string to affected versions up to 3.1.1.A critical memory-safety vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-10996, has been identified in Open Babel, a widely used C++ chemistry library and command-line tool. The flaw specifically resides within the OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles function, which is responsible for interpreting SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry Specification) strings. When processing a specially crafted and malformed SMILES input, the parser can write beyond the boundaries of a heap-allocated buffer, leading to a heap buffer overflow. This vulnerability affects all Open Babel versions up to and including 3.1.1. It is particularly concerning because Open Babel is often embedded in services that parse untrusted input and SMILES strings are frequently handled via command-line arguments and automated script pipelines, making the exploitation primitive easily reachable. A patch was released in version 3.2.0 on May 26, 2026, addressing the issue.

Attack Chain

1. Attacker crafts malicious SMILES string: The attacker develops a specially engineered SMILES string designed to exploit the heap buffer overflow vulnerability in Open Babel's OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles function.
2. Attacker delivers malicious SMILES string: The crafted SMILES string is delivered to the victim, potentially via a malicious file (e.g., a .smi file), an email attachment, or as input within a web application or scientific workflow.
3. Victim initiates SMILES parsing: The victim, or an automated system, processes the malicious SMILES string using Open Babel through the obabel command-line tool, the OBConversion API, or any of its language bindings (Python, Ruby, Java, R, Perl, C#, PHP).
4. OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles is invoked: Open Babel's internal OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles function is called to interpret the malformed SMILES input string.
5. Heap buffer overflow triggers: During parsing, the specially crafted SMILES string causes the ParseSmiles function to write data beyond the allocated memory region on the heap.
6. Memory corruption and impact: This heap buffer overflow leads to memory corruption, which can result in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by crashing the application, or, if successfully manipulated, arbitrary code execution within the context of the vulnerable Open Babel process.
7. Post-exploitation (if RCE achieved): If arbitrary code execution is achieved, the attacker gains control over the compromised process, potentially enabling further actions such as data exfiltration, system compromise, or malware deployment.

Impact

The exploitation of CVE-2025-10996 can lead to severe consequences for organizations utilizing Open Babel. At minimum, a successful attack will result in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, causing the Open Babel application or any service embedding it to crash. More critically, skilled attackers could potentially leverage this heap buffer overflow to achieve arbitrary code execution, granting them unauthorized control over the affected system. Organizations in scientific research, chemical industries, and any sector relying on chemical data processing and Open Babel for parsing untrusted SMILES input are at risk. The broad deployment of Open Babel, including its presence in Linux distributions and various language bindings, expands the potential attack surface.

Recommendation

• Patch CVE-2025-10996 immediately by upgrading Open Babel to version 3.2.0 or later on all affected systems and integrated services.
• Review all instances where Open Babel is used to parse external or untrusted SMILES input, especially those invoked via command-line or programmatic APIs.

]]>highadvisoryvulnerabilitybuffer-overflowchemistrylibrarycvehttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-07-open-babel-heap-overflow/Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:01:12 +0000hello@craftedsignal.iohttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-07-open-babel-heap-overflow/A heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2025-10997) in Open Babel's ChemKin parser allows an attacker to achieve memory corruption when a victim processes a specially crafted ChemKin file, potentially leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.A memory-safety vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-10997, has been discovered in Open Babel, a widely used C++ library and command-line tool for chemistry file format conversion. This flaw, reported via OSS-Fuzz, specifically exists within the ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies function of the ChemKin parser. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious ChemKin file that, when processed by a victim using Open Babel components (such as the obabel tool, the OBConversion API, or its language bindings), causes a heap buffer overflow. This leads to memory corruption, potentially resulting in application crashes (Denial of Service) or, under certain conditions, arbitrary code execution. All Open Babel releases up to and including version 3.1.1 are affected; the vulnerability was patched in version 3.2.0, released on 2026-05-26.

Attack Chain

1. Attacker crafts a malicious ChemKin file specifically designed to contain malformed species records, triggering the heap buffer overflow in ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies.
2. The malicious ChemKin file is delivered to the victim, typically via social engineering (e.g., email attachment), malicious download link, or embedding within a seemingly legitimate data set.
3. The victim interacts with the malicious file, causing it to be processed by an Open Babel component, such as the obabel command-line tool, the OBConversion API, or one of its language bindings (Python, Ruby, Java, etc.).
4. Open Babel's internal parser, specifically within the ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies function, attempts to process the malformed species record from the crafted file.
5. Due to the malformed data, the ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies function attempts to write data beyond the allocated bounds of a heap-allocated buffer.
6. This heap buffer overflow corrupts memory, leading to an application crash (Denial of Service) or, under specific conditions, allows for arbitrary code execution on the victim's system.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-10997 can lead to severe consequences for systems processing untrusted ChemKin files with affected versions of Open Babel. The primary impact includes denial of service, as the application processing the malicious file will likely crash due to memory corruption. More critically, sophisticated exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution, granting attackers control over the compromised system. Open Babel is widely integrated, being shipped by Linux distributions and embedded in various services that parse chemical file formats. Organizations using Open Babel in such contexts, especially those handling external or untrusted data, are at risk.

Recommendation

• Patch CVE-2025-10997 by upgrading all instances of Open Babel and its language bindings to version 3.2.0 or later immediately.
• Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all ChemKin files processed by applications utilizing Open Babel components to mitigate risks from specially crafted inputs.
• Monitor systems that utilize Open Babel for unexpected application crashes or unusual process behavior that could indicate attempted exploitation.

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