Tecnomatix Plant SimulationApplication · Siemens

CVE-2021-27397

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
A vulnerability has been identified in Tecnomatix Plant Simulation (All versions < V16.0.5). The PlantSimCore.dll library lacks proper validation of user-supplied data when parsing SPP files. This could result in a memory corruption condition. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. (ZDI-CAN-13287)

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 confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability exists in Tecnomatix Plant Simulation's PlantSimCore.dll library due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data when parsing SPP files. An attacker could exploit this to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process.

MitigationUpgrade Tecnomatix Plant Simulation to version V16.0.5 or later to obtain the patched PlantSimCore.dll library with proper input validation.

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
Tecnomatix Plant SimulationApplication
Affected:< 16.0.5

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Tecnomatix Plant Simulation installation
    Check for the presence of the Plant Simulation installation directory, typically found under C:\Program Files\Siemens\Tecnomatix_Plant_Simulation or similar Siemens installation paths. Look for the PlantSimCore.dll file within the installation folder.
    Affected if The software is installed and the PlantSimCore.dll file is present on the system.
  2. Determine installed Plant Simulation version
    Open the Windows Control Panel, navigate to Programs and Features, locate Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation in the list of installed software, and note the version number shown in the Version column.
    Affected if The installed version is listed as anything below 16.0.5 (for example, 16.0.4, 16.0.3, 15.x, or earlier).
  3. Check PlantSimCore.dll file version
    Navigate to the Plant Simulation installation directory, right-click on PlantSimCore.dll, select Properties, and examine the File Version information on the Details tab.
    Affected if The PlantSimCore.dll file version is earlier than the version bundled with V16.0.5.
  4. Identify SPP file association or handling
    Search the installation directory for any .spp file type associations or parsers. Check if the software is configured to open or process .spp files, which is the file format that triggers the vulnerability.
    Affected if The software is capable of importing or parsing SPP files.

A user is affected if Tecnomatix Plant Simulation is installed with a version number lower than 16.0.5 and the software can process SPP files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.0.5 or later
Fixed in 16.0.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Tecnomatix Plant Simulation to version V16.0.5 or later to obtain the patched PlantSimCore.dll library with proper input validation.

Fix this in Tecnomatix Plant Simulation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-27397 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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