CVE-2021-44047 – A use-after-free vulnerability in Open Design A... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-44047?

CVE-2021-44047 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A use-after-free vulnerability in Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK allows remote code execution when processing malicious DWF/DWFX files. Attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the application using the SDK. Organizations using affected versions of the SDK in applications that process DWF/DWFX files are at risk.

📋 TL;DR

A use-after-free vulnerability in Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK allows remote code execution when processing malicious DWF/DWFX files. Attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the application using the SDK. Organizations using affected versions of the SDK in applications that process DWF/DWFX files are at risk.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK

Versions: All versions before 2022.11

Operating Systems: All platforms where SDK is used

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Any application using the affected SDK to parse DWF/DWFX files is vulnerable regardless of OS.

📦 What is this software?

Drawings Sdk by Opendesign

View all CVEs affecting Drawings Sdk →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash leading to denial of service, with potential for code execution if exploit is weaponized.

🟢

If Mitigated

Application crash without code execution if exploit fails or controls limit impact.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Risk depends on whether affected applications process untrusted DWF/DWFX files from external sources.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could exploit via malicious files, but requires user interaction or automated processing.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user to open a malicious file or automated processing of untrusted files.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2022.11 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.opendesign.com/security-advisories

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Identify applications using ODA Drawings SDK. 2. Update SDK to version 2022.11 or later. 3. Rebuild/redeploy applications with patched SDK. 4. Restart affected services/applications.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

File Type Restriction

all

Block or restrict processing of DWF/DWFX files from untrusted sources.

Application Sandboxing

all

Run applications using the SDK in restricted environments with limited privileges.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict file validation and only allow trusted DWF/DWFX files
Deploy application control to prevent execution of unauthorized code

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check SDK version in applications; versions before 2022.11 are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check application documentation or SDK header files for version information

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm SDK version is 2022.11 or later and applications have been rebuilt with updated SDK.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes when processing DWF/DWFX files
Memory access violation errors

Network Indicators:

Unusual file transfers of DWF/DWFX files to vulnerable systems

SIEM Query:

EventID=1000 OR EventID=1001 AND ProcessName contains application using ODA SDK

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-44047

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-416

Published: December 5, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://www.opendesign.com/security-advisories Vendor Advisory
https://www.opendesign.com/security-advisories Vendor Advisory

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