CVE-2026-23720
📋 TL;DR
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Simcenter Femap and Simcenter Nastran allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious NDB files. All organizations using these engineering simulation software versions before V2512 are affected. This could lead to complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Simcenter Femap
- Simcenter Nastran
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover with attacker gaining the same privileges as the user running the software, potentially leading to lateral movement across networks.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data theft, system manipulation, or installation of persistent malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if software runs with minimal privileges and in isolated environments with restricted file access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious files. No public exploits available as of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: V2512
Vendor Advisory: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-965753.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download V2512 or later from Siemens support portal. 2. Backup current configurations. 3. Run installer with administrative privileges. 4. Restart system after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict NDB file handling
allConfigure systems to open NDB files only in trusted environments or with limited privileges
User awareness training
allTrain users to only open NDB files from trusted sources and verify file integrity
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Run applications with minimal user privileges (not as administrator)
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check software version in Help > About menu. If version is below V2512, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via GUI Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version shows V2512 or higher in Help > About menu after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when opening NDB files
- Unusual process spawning from Femap/Nastran
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from engineering workstations to suspicious IPs
SIEM Query:
Process: (Femap.exe OR Nastran.exe) AND Event: Crash OR SuspiciousChildProcess