CVE-2022-25789
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in Autodesk AutoCAD allows malicious DWF, 3DS, and DWFX files to trigger memory corruption. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. This affects AutoCAD 2019-2022 users who open untrusted CAD files.
💻 Affected Systems
- Autodesk AutoCAD
📦 What is this software?
Advance Steel by Autodesk
Advance Steel by Autodesk
Advance Steel by Autodesk
Advance Steel by Autodesk
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad Lt by Autodesk
Autocad Lt by Autodesk
Autocad Lt by Autodesk
Autocad Lt by Autodesk
Autocad Mep by Autodesk
Autocad Mep by Autodesk
Autocad Mep by Autodesk
Autocad Mep by Autodesk
Civil 3d by Autodesk
Civil 3d by Autodesk
Civil 3d by Autodesk
Civil 3d by Autodesk
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via remote code execution with user privileges, potentially leading to lateral movement, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or application crash when users open malicious CAD files from untrusted sources.
If Mitigated
Application crash without code execution if memory protections are enabled, but denial of service still occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction to open malicious file; exploitation depends on bypassing memory protections.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Latest updates for affected versions (check specific version numbers in advisory)
Vendor Advisory: https://www.autodesk.com/trust/security-advisories/adsk-sa-2022-0005
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open AutoCAD. 2. Go to Autodesk Desktop App or AutoCAD's update mechanism. 3. Check for and install available updates. 4. Restart AutoCAD after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block suspicious file extensions
allUse application control or email filtering to block DWF, 3DS, and DWFX files from untrusted sources.
User awareness training
allTrain users not to open CAD files from unknown or untrusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized AutoCAD execution
- Use sandboxing or virtualization to isolate AutoCAD when opening untrusted files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check AutoCAD version: Open AutoCAD → Help → About → Compare version against affected ranges (2019-2022).Check Version:
In AutoCAD command line: (getvar "acadver")Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is updated beyond vulnerable releases and check for security update installation in update history.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in AutoCAD with memory access violations
- Unexpected file opens of DWF/3DS/DWFX extensions
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from AutoCAD process post-file open
SIEM Query:
source="*autocad*" AND (event_id=1000 OR event_id=1001) AND message="*access violation*"