dbcve.org
3ds MaxApplication · Autodesk

CVE-2022-27871

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Autodesk AutoCAD product suite, Revit, Design Review and Navisworks releases using PDFTron prior to 9.1.17 version may be used to write beyond the allocated buffer while parsing PDF 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 PDFTron library versions prior to 9.1.17 used by multiple Autodesk products (AutoCAD, Revit, Design Review, and Navisworks). When parsing specially crafted PDF files, the software writes data beyond the allocated buffer boundary, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code via controlled memory overwrite.

MitigationUpdate PDFTron library to version 9.1.17 or later, or apply Autodesk-supplied patches for the affected products. Prioritize systems that process untrusted PDF files.

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
3ds MaxApplication
Affected:= 2021= 2022
Advance SteelApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
AutocadApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
Autocad ArchitectureApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
Autocad Civil 3dApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
Autocad ElectricalApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
Autocad LtApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022
Autocad Map 3dApplication
Affected:= 2019= 2020= 2021= 2022

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 products
    Open Programs and Features (Windows) or check application list to see if any of these are installed: 3ds Max, Advance Steel, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD LT, or AutoCAD Map 3D
    Affected if Any of these products are installed and the version is 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022
  2. Determine product version
    For each installed product, check the version: In AutoCAD products, type ABOUT at the command prompt; in 3ds Max go to Help > About; in Advance Steel check the About dialog
    Affected if The installed version matches 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022
  3. Verify PDF functionality is in use
    Confirm the product is configured to open or process PDF files, or check if PDF-related modules or plugins are loaded
    Affected if PDF file handling or PDF import/export features are enabled or regularly used in the product
  4. Check PDFTron library version
    If accessible, inspect the PDFTron library file version in the product's bin or support folder; otherwise, rely on product version as indirect indicator
    Affected if PDFTron library version is earlier than 9.1.17 or cannot be verified to be 9.1.17 or later

The environment is affected if an Autodesk product from the 2019-2022 version range is installed and processes PDF files using a PDFTron library version prior to 9.1.17

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update PDFTron library to version 9.1.17 or later, or apply Autodesk-supplied patches for the affected products. Prioritize systems that process untrusted PDF files.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Autodesk product versions that bundle PDFTron 9.1.17 or later (contact Autodesk or check product release notes for specific version numbers)

  1. Identify the specific Autodesk product (e.g., AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Advance Steel, etc.) affected in your environment
  2. Check the current version of the installed Autodesk product
  3. Upgrade the Autodesk product to a version that includes PDFTron version 9.1.17 or later. Autodesk typically bundles PDFTron updates within their product updates/patches
  4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the product version or release notes
  5. Ensure the updated PDFTron version is 9.1.17 or higher by consulting Autodesk release documentation
Caveat Upgrading Autodesk products may introduce interface changes or compatibility issues with custom scripts/add-ons; review Autodesk migration guides

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

Fix this in 3ds Max Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2022-27871 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