# CVE-2025-10999: Open Babel cacaoformat.cpp SetHilderbrandt null pointer dereference

> A local attacker can cause a denial of service via null pointer dereference in Open Babel's CacaoFormat::SetHilderbrandt function.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2025-10999, GHSA-55j6-rjhx-hwfh, PYSEC-2026-2772, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-10999

## What is CVE-2025-10999?

CVE-2025-10999 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Open Babel, published on 26 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability was found in Open Babel up to 3.1.1. The impacted element is the function CacaoFormat::SetHilderbrandt of the file /src/formats/cacaoformat.cpp. The manipulation results in null pointer dereference. The attack is only possible with local access. The exploit has been made public and could be used.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-10999?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including openbabel. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `openbabel` | PyPI | All versions | 3.2.0 |
| `openbabel` | PyPI | All versions | 3.2.0 |
| `openbabel` | PyPI | All versions | 3.2.0 |

Products: Openbabel Open Babel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-10999?

Upgrade openbabel to 3.2.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2025-10999 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-10999 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Open Babel

- [CVE-2022-41793](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41793/): Open Babel has out-of-bounds write in CSR PadString (title field) (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-42885](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-42885/): Open Babel has uninitialized pointer dereference in GRO residue parser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-43467](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-43467/): Open Babel has out-of-bounds write in PQS coord_file parser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-44451](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-44451/): Open Babel has uninitialized pointer dereference in MSI atom parser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-46280](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46280/): Open Babel has uninitialized pointer dereference in PQS pFormat (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-10999 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-10999 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Open Babel, published on 26 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-10999 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- openbabel (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.2.0
- openbabel (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.2.0
- openbabel (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.2.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-10999/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-10999/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-10999
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-10999
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-10999

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-10999/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.