CVE-2021-22649
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting multiple NULL pointer dereference issues in Luxion KeyShot products when processing malicious project files. Users of KeyShot, KeyShot Viewer, KeyShot Network Rendering, and KeyVR versions before 10.1 are affected. Successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Luxion KeyShot
- Luxion KeyShot Viewer
- Luxion KeyShot Network Rendering
- Luxion KeyVR
📦 What is this software?
Keyshot by Luxion
Keyvr by Luxion
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover with administrative privileges, data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Remote code execution with user-level privileges, potentially leading to malware installation, data exfiltration, or system disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to network segmentation, application sandboxing, or user privilege restrictions preventing full system compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious project file. No public exploit code is available, but technical details are published.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-231216.pdf
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download KeyShot 10.1 or later from official Luxion website. 2. Install the update following vendor instructions. 3. Restart the application and system if required.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict project file handling
allBlock or restrict opening of KeyShot project files from untrusted sources.
Application sandboxing
allRun KeyShot in a sandboxed environment to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file validation policies to block suspicious project files.
- Use endpoint protection with behavior monitoring to detect exploitation attempts.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About in KeyShot application to see if version is below 10.1.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUIVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 10.1 or higher in Help > About menu.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with NULL pointer exceptions
- Unexpected process creation from KeyShot executables
- Suspicious file access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from KeyShot processes
- Data exfiltration patterns
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent_process contains 'keyshot' AND (process_name contains 'cmd' OR process_name contains 'powershell')🔗 References
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-231216.pdf
- https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-21-035-01
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-317/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-325/
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-231216.pdf
- https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-21-035-01
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-317/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-325/
