CVE-2021-27037
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA maliciously crafted PNG, PDF or DWF file in Autodesk Design Review 2018, 2017, 2013, 2012, 2011 can be used to attempt to free an object that has already been freed while parsing them. This vulnerability may be exploited by remote malicious actors to execute arbitrary code.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability exists in Autodesk Design Review when parsing maliciously crafted PNG, PDF, or DWF files. The vulnerability occurs when the software attempts to free an object that has already been freed during file parsing, leading to potential arbitrary code execution by remote attackers.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2011= 2012= 2013= 2017= 2018CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Autodesk Design Review is installedCheck for the presence of Autodesk Design Review in the program files directory (typically C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk Design Review) or check Windows Registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named Autodesk Design ReviewAffected if The software is present on the system
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Determine installed versionLocate the version information by right-clicking the executable (DesignReview.exe) in the installation folder, selecting Properties, and viewing the Details tab, or by checking the Windows Registry value DisplayVersion under the uninstall keyAffected if The displayed version matches 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, or 2018
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Confirm version is in affected rangeCompare the identified version against the affected list: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, or 2018. Note that only these exact versions are affected, not a rangeAffected if The installed version is exactly 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, or 2018
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Verify vulnerable file parsing capabilityConfirm the software retains the ability to open PNG, PDF, or DWF files by opening any legitimate file of these types in Autodesk Design ReviewAffected if The software can successfully open PNG, PDF, or DWF files (the parsing code path that triggers the vulnerability is reachable)
The user is affected if Autodesk Design Review version 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, or 2018 is installed and can parse PNG, PDF, or DWF files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor security patch from Autodesk for affected versions (2011-2018), and avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PNG, PDF, or DWF files until patches are applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27037 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-27037 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data