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AutocadApplication · Autodesk

CVE-2021-40165

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2019.1.4 / 2020.1.5 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 maliciously crafted TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC file in Autodesk Image Processing component may be used to write beyond the allocated buffer while parsing TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC files. This vulnerability may be exploited 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 confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Autodesk's Image Processing component when parsing TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC files. The parsing logic writes data beyond the allocated buffer boundary without proper bounds checking, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply vendor patches from Autodesk when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or specially crafted TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC files from unknown sources.

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
AutocadApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad Advance SteelApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad ArchitectureApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad Civil 3dApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad ElectricalApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad LtApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2020, < 2020.3.2>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2021, < 2021.2.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.2.2
Autocad Map 3dApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2
Autocad MechanicalApplication
Affected:>= 2019, < 2019.1.4>= 2020, < 2020.1.5>= 2021, < 2021.1.2>= 2022, < 2022.1.2

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. Identify installed Autodesk product
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for registry keys under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ to locate any installed Autodesk application matching the affected product list
    Affected if The installed product is one of: AutoCAD, AutoCAD Advance Steel, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Map 3D, or AutoCAD Mechanical
  2. Determine installed version
    Launch the Autodesk application and navigate to Help > About, or check the executable properties of the main program file (typically acad.exe for AutoCAD) by right-clicking and selecting Properties > Details to view the File Version
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is not visible in the UI or file properties
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match the discovered version (e.g., 2019.x, 2020.x, 2021.x, 2022.x) against the vulnerable ranges: 2019 < 2019.1.4, 2020 < 2020.1.5, 2021 < 2021.1.2, 2022 < 2022.1.2. For AutoCAD LT specifically, also check: 2020 < 2020.3.2, 2021 < 2021.2.2, 2022 < 2022.2.2
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the unpatched version ranges listed
  4. Confirm Image Processing component presence
    The vulnerability exists in the Image Processing component used when handling image file formats. No user-configurable setting to check; the component is embedded within the application binary and loads automatically when the application processes image files
    Affected if The application has the capability to open or import TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC files (this is the trigger vector, not a configuration)
  5. Verify patch installation status
    Check Autodesk Account or the application Help > Check for Updates to see if a newer version exceeding the fixed releases has been applied, or review installed updates via Windows Update history
    Affected if No patch version higher than 2019.1.4, 2020.1.5, 2021.1.2, or 2022.1.2 (or LT-specific thresholds) has been installed

The environment is affected if any Autodesk product from the list is installed with a version that falls within the unpatched ranges (2019 through 2019.1.3, 2020 through 2020.1.4, 2021 through 2021.1.1, or 2022 through 2022.1.1, with additional LT-specific ranges), and the application can process TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC 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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2019.1.4 / 2020.1.5 / 2020.3.2 or later
Fixed in 2019.1.42020.1.52020.3.2
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches from Autodesk when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or specially crafted TIFF, PICT, TGA, or RLC files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 2019.1.4+ / 2020.1.5+ / 2021.1.2+ / 2022.1.2+ depending on your product line

  1. Identify the specific Autodesk product and version currently installed (Help > About > Product Information)
  2. Determine which release year (2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022) corresponds to your installation
  3. Upgrade to the appropriate fixed version: For 2019.x upgrade to 2019.1.4 or later; For 2020.x upgrade to 2020.1.5 or later; For 2021.x upgrade to 2021.1.2 or later; For 2022.x upgrade to 2022.1.2 or later
  4. Download the update from the Autodesk Account portal (manage.autodesk.com) or use the Autodesk Access application to check for updates
  5. Apply the update by running the installer with administrator privileges
  6. Restart the application after the update completes
  7. Verify the installed version matches the target fixed version (Help > About > Product Information)
Caveat Standard Autodesk update; ensure to back up custom settings and templates before updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Autocad Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.

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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-2021-40165 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