CVE-2021-43274
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 Use After Free Vulnerability exists in the Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK before 2022.11. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of DWF files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary 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 confidenceA Use After Free vulnerability in Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK versions prior to 2022.11 allows arbitrary code execution during DWF file parsing. The flaw stems from the parser failing to validate object existence before performing operations on it, enabling an attacker to manipulate memory after an object has been freed.
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
- 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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Locate ODA Drawings SDK installationSearch for ODA library files such as OdDwf7x.dll, OdDwg8x.dll, or similar Od*.dll files in application directories, system folders, or third-party library paths. Use file explorer search or command: dir /s /b "Od*.dll" on Windows or find command on Linux.Affected if ODA Drawings SDK libraries are present on the system
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Determine SDK version numberRight-click the identified ODA library DLL file, select Properties, then view the Version tab to find the File Version or Product Version. Alternatively, check the application's release notes, about dialog, or bundled SDK documentation if the SDK is embedded within an application.Affected if The version displayed is prior to 2022.11 (for example, 2022.10, 2022.9, or any 202x version below 2022.11)
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Verify DWF file handling is enabledReview the application's file handling capabilities or system file associations to confirm that DWF file parsing is active. Check if .dwf file extensions are registered or if the application includes DWF import, export, or viewing features.Affected if DWF file parsing or processing functionality is available or enabled
The environment is affected if the installed ODA Drawings SDK version is earlier than 2022.11 and the system has the ability to process DWF files, allowing the Use After Free vulnerability to be triggered during DWF file parsing.
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 Drawings SDK to version 2022.11 or later to obtain the vendor patch. Until then, avoid opening untrusted DWF files from unknown or untrusted sources.
Drawings SDK 2022.11 or later
- Identify the current version of Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK in use
- Download Drawings SDK version 2022.11 or later from the official source at www.opendesign.com
- Replace the existing SDK files in your project with the updated version
- Rebuild your application to link against the new SDK
- Test the application thoroughly, particularly functionality related to DWF file parsing
- Verify the application runs without the use-after-free vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-43274 — 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-2021-43274 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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