CVE-2021-43272
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 · uneditedAn improper handling of exceptional conditions vulnerability exists in Open Design Alliance ODA Viewer sample before 2022.11. ODA Viewer continues to process invalid or malicious DWF files instead of stopping upon an exception. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process.
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 confidenceThe ODA Viewer sample application fails to properly handle exceptions when processing malformed or malicious DWF (Design Web Format) files. Instead of stopping execution when an exception occurs, the application continues processing, allowing an attacker to trigger arbitrary code execution within the context of the current process by supplying a specially crafted DWF file.
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< 2022.11CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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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Identify installed ODA Viewer versionLocate the ODA Viewer application or library files on the system and check the version information (typically found in file properties, application about dialog, or version resource of the executable/DLL)Affected if The installed version is lower than 2022.11
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Confirm DWF file processing is in useDetermine if the system or application uses ODA Viewer to process DWF (Design Web Format) files, either through direct user interaction or automated file handlingAffected if DWF files are being opened, viewed, or processed by the ODA Viewer component
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Check for recent DWF file handling activityReview access logs, recent documents, or file processing histories that may indicate DWF files have been opened with ODA ViewerAffected if There is evidence of DWF files having been processed by the vulnerable application
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Verify application context and privilegesDetermine the user/context under which ODA Viewer runs when processing DWF files (check process privileges, service account, or application pool identity)Affected if ODA Viewer runs with elevated privileges when processing DWF files, increasing the impact of successful exploitation
A system is affected if ODA Viewer version is below 2022.11 AND the application processes DWF files from potentially untrusted sources.
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.
dbcve · scoped2022.11
Update ODA Viewer to version 2022.11 or later to obtain the patched library. Additionally, implement file type validation and avoid opening untrusted or unexpected DWF files from unverified sources.
2022.11
- Upgrade ODA Viewer to version 2022.11 or later to resolve the improper handling of exceptional conditions vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-43272 — 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-2021-43272 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
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