CVE-2023-29067
📋 TL;DR
A memory corruption vulnerability in Autodesk AutoCAD 2023 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious X_B files. This affects AutoCAD 2023 users who open untrusted files. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but could lead to full system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Autodesk AutoCAD
📦 What is this software?
Autocad by Autodesk
Autocad Lt by Autodesk
Autocad Mep by Autodesk
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with the privileges of the AutoCAD process, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Application crash or denial of service when opening malicious files; code execution possible with additional vulnerabilities.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper user training and file validation controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious file; memory corruption could be chained with other vulnerabilities for code execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: AutoCAD 2023 with Security Update or later versions
Vendor Advisory: https://www.autodesk.com/trust/security-advisories/adsk-sa-2023-0005
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open AutoCAD 2023. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Install available security updates. 4. Restart AutoCAD. 5. Verify version is updated.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable X_B file association
windowsRemove file association for .x_b files to prevent automatic opening in AutoCAD
Windows: Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program > Remove .x_b association
User training and file validation
allTrain users to only open trusted X_B files and implement file validation policies
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block unauthorized AutoCAD execution
- Use network segmentation to isolate AutoCAD systems from critical assets
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check AutoCAD version: Open AutoCAD > Help > About > Verify version is 2023 without security updatesCheck Version:
AutoCAD: Type ABOUT in command line or check Help > AboutVerify Fix Applied:
Verify AutoCAD version shows updated build number after applying security update📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in AutoCAD logs
- Unexpected file parsing errors
- Memory access violation events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from AutoCAD process
- File downloads preceding AutoCAD crashes
SIEM Query:
EventID=1000 OR EventID=1001 Source=AutoCAD AND (ExceptionCode=0xc0000005 OR ExceptionCode=0xc0000409)