CVE-2023-40490
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 · uneditedMaxon Cinema 4D SKP File Parsing Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Maxon Cinema 4D. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of SKP 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 vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-21438.
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 exists in Maxon Cinema 4D's SKP (SketchUp) file parser. The parser fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it, leading to a UAF condition that can be triggered by opening a specially crafted malicious SKP file, allowing remote code execution in the context of the current process.
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= 2023.2.1CVSS 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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Verify Cinema 4D installationCheck for Cinema 4D installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Maxon Cinema 4D or /Applications/Maxon Cinema 4D on macOS, or look for the application in installed programs listAffected if Cinema 4D is present on the system
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Determine installed Cinema 4D versionOpen Cinema 4D, go to Help > About Cinema 4D, or check the version in the application executable properties. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view File VersionAffected if Version is exactly 2023.2.1
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Confirm SKP import capability is presentCheck if the SKP (SketchUp) import plugin exists in the Cinema 4D installation, typically found in the plugins folder or as a built-in importer accessible via File > Open with SKP file type availableAffected if SKP file import option is available in the application
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Inspect for recently opened SKP filesReview recent documents or file access logs for .skp files opened by Cinema 4D, check Windows Event Viewer for application file access events, or examine the application's recent files listAffected if Any .skp files have been opened using this Cinema 4D installation
A user is affected if Cinema 4D version 2023.2.1 is installed and the SKP import feature is used or untrusted SKP files have been opened.
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.
From vendor dataUsers should avoid opening untrusted SKP files from unknown sources until an official patch is released by Maxon. Organizations may consider implementing application whitelisting and sandboxing for Cinema 4D to limit exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40490 — 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-2023-40490 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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