Description

Substance3D - Sampler is affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-03T18:17:24.733Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-03T18:17:24.733Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Substance3D Sampler is susceptible to a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, categorized as a memory corruption flaw.\nThis vulnerability allows for arbitrary code execution within the security context of the user currently running the application.\nThe flaw stems from improper handling of malicious file inputs, which can trigger memory corruption when parsed by the software.\nThe primary risk implication is a total system compromise or unauthorized access to user data if a malicious file is opened.\nSuccessful exploitation necessitates user interaction, requiring the victim to be lured into opening a specially crafted, malicious file.\nThe vulnerability does not require prior authentication to the application, but it is contingent upon the user's local execution of the affected file type.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is identified as a heap-based buffer overflow occurring during the processing of file structures within Substance3D Sampler.\nA heap overflow occurs when data is written to a heap-allocated buffer beyond its allocated memory boundaries, leading to the corruption of adjacent data structures or metadata managed by the memory allocator.\nThe root cause is an insecure implementation of the file parsing logic, which fails to adequately validate input size or length parameters against the destination heap buffer size.\nIn a typical attack scenario, an adversary constructs a malicious file containing malformed data designed to exceed the size of the heap buffer allocated for handling specific file sections, such as headers or data chunks.\nWhen the user interacts with this file, the application attempts to deserialize or parse the input into the heap. Due to the lack of bounds checking, the excess input overflows the designated buffer.\nBy strategically crafting the overflow payload, an attacker can overwrite critical heap structures, such as function pointers or object vtables. Subsequent execution of these corrupted pointers directs the application's control flow to malicious code embedded within the payload.\nBecause the execution occurs in the context of the current user, the payload inherits the full permissions of that user. This grants an attacker the ability to execute arbitrary instructions, potentially leading to unauthorized data exfiltration, installation of persistent backdoors, or lateral movement within the local environment.\nThe exploit process generally follows these steps: 1. Identification of an input vector within the file format susceptible to unchecked copy operations. 2. Crafting of a payload that facilitates heap grooming to position the buffer in a predictable state. 3. Delivery of the malicious file to the target. 4. Triggering the overflow via file parsing, resulting in control flow hijack.\nNo network-level exploitation is required as the attack vector is strictly file-based, requiring local user interaction to initiate the malicious parsing cycle.\nThe post-exploitation phase typically involves establishing a shell or payload execution environment, allowing for remote command and control or further system reconnaissance."
}