CVE-2025-10994
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-10994 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Open Babel's GAMESS file parser that could allow local attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. This affects users who process untrusted GAMESS format files with Open Babel versions up to 3.1.1. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit but has a publicly available proof-of-concept.
💻 Affected Systems
- Open Babel
📦 What is this software?
Open Babel by Openbabel
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation leading to complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution as the Open Babel process user.
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) when processing malicious GAMESS files, potentially corrupting data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper sandboxing and least privilege configurations, restricting damage to the application context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Proof-of-concept exploit available in GitHub attachments. Requires local access and ability to feed malicious GAMESS files to Open Babel.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Open Babel 3.1.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openbabel/openbabel/issues/2834
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check current Open Babel version. 2. Update to version 3.1.2 or later using package manager or source compilation. 3. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GAMESS format processing
allRemove or restrict access to GAMESS file format handling in Open Babel configuration
# Configuration depends on Open Babel implementation
# Consider removing gamessformat plugin or restricting file permissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file input validation and sandbox Open Babel processes with minimal privileges.
- Monitor for crashes or unusual behavior when processing GAMESS files and block suspicious file submissions.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Open Babel version: 'obabel --version' or examine installed package version. If version is 3.1.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
obabel --versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm version is 3.1.2 or later using 'obabel --version'. Test with known safe GAMESS files to ensure functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Open Babel process crashes when handling GAMESS files
- Memory access violation errors in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
Process:obabel AND (EventID:1000 OR ExceptionCode:c0000005) OR FileExtension:.gamess OR FileExtension:.gms