CVE-2021-27034
📋 TL;DR
This heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Autodesk Design Review allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious PICT, PCX, RCL, or TIFF files. Users of affected Autodesk Design Review versions are at risk, particularly those who process untrusted files from external sources.
💻 Affected Systems
- Autodesk Design Review
📦 What is this software?
Design Review by Autodesk
Design Review by Autodesk
Design Review by Autodesk
Design Review by Autodesk
Design Review by Autodesk
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the affected system, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or remote code execution when a user opens a malicious file, leading to malware installation or data exfiltration.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing, file type restrictions, and user awareness preventing malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious files. Multiple ZDI advisories suggest weaponization is likely given the file format parsing nature.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to latest version as per Autodesk advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.autodesk.com/trust/security-advisories/adsk-sa-2021-0003
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Autodesk Design Review. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to download and install latest version. 4. Restart system after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
File Type Association Removal
windowsRemove file type associations for PICT, PCX, RCL, and TIFF files from Autodesk Design Review to prevent automatic opening.
Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Associations > Remove .pict, .pcx, .rcl, .tiff from Autodesk Design Review
Application Control Policy
windowsImplement application control policies to restrict execution of Autodesk Design Review to trusted locations only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate systems running vulnerable versions
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious file parsing behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About in Autodesk Design Review for version number. If version is 2018, 2017, 2013, 2012, or 2011, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In Autodesk Design Review: Help > AboutVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version number after update shows a patched version (not 2018, 2017, 2013, 2012, or 2011). Check Autodesk advisory for specific patched version numbers.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Process creation events for Autodesk Design Review with suspicious file paths
- Application crash logs from Autodesk Design Review
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Autodesk Design Review process to unknown IPs
- File downloads of PICT, PCX, RCL, or TIFF files followed by process execution
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Design Review.exe" AND (file_extension:.pict OR file_extension:.pcx OR file_extension:.rcl OR file_extension:.tiff)🔗 References
- https://www.autodesk.com/trust/security-advisories/adsk-sa-2021-0003
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1125/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1126/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1127/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1128/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1129/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1130/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1131/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1132/
- https://www.autodesk.com/trust/security-advisories/adsk-sa-2021-0003
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1125/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1126/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1127/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1128/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1129/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1130/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1131/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1132/
