# CVE-2025-10997: Open Babel heap buffer overflow in ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-10997-open-babel-heap-buffer-overflow-in-chemkinformat-checkspecies  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-01. Updated: 2026-07-01  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2025-10997 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-07-01

Open Babel is a widely used software library for converting and processing chemical data files. A security flaw in its ChemKin file parser allows an attacker to crash the application or potentially execute unauthorized code if a user is tricked into opening a specially crafted, malicious chemistry file. This affects researchers and organizations using Open Babel's command-line tools or integrated services in various programming languages like Python, Java, and C#.

Technologies: [openbabel (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/openbabel). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2025-10997 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-10997 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2025-10997?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 1 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** openbabel (PyPI) < 3.2.0, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.2.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2025-10997?** Yes. openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2025-10997 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2025-10997?** Check whether you run openbabel (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "openbabel>=3.2.0"
  ```


## Technical details

A heap-based buffer overflow exists in Open Babel versions up to and including 3.1.1 within the ChemKinFormat::CheckSpecies function in src/formats/chemkinformat.cpp. The vulnerability is triggered when the parser encounters a malformed species record in a ChemKin file, leading to an out-of-bounds write on the heap during a std::map::find operation or string manipulation. An attacker can exploit this by providing a crafted ChemKin file to the obabel CLI tool or any application using the OBConversion API. The issue was identified via OSS-Fuzz and is addressed in version 3.2.0.

## Affected products

- Open Babel openbabel <= 3.1.1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2025-10997
- GHSA-8wq6-qh76-wpv9
- PYSEC-2026-2778

## Timeline

- 2025-09-14: disclosed: Original bug report on GitHub issue #2830
- 2026-05-26: patched: Version 3.2.0 released with fix
- 2026-07-01: advisory: GitHub Advisory published

## References

- [https://github.com/openbabel/openbabel/security/advisories/GHSA-8wq6-qh76-wpv9](https://github.com/openbabel/openbabel/security/advisories/GHSA-8wq6-qh76-wpv9)
- [https://github.com/openbabel/openbabel/issues/2830](https://github.com/openbabel/openbabel/issues/2830)
- [https://github.com/user-attachments/files/22318543/poc.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/22318543/poc.zip)
- [https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.325925](https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.325925)
- [https://vuldb.com/?id.325925](https://vuldb.com/?id.325925)

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