CVE-2024-47194
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 vulnerability has been identified in ModelSim (All versions < V2024.3), Questa (All versions < V2024.3). vish2.exe in affected applications allows a specific DLL file to be loaded from the current working directory. This could allow an authenticated local attacker to inject arbitrary code and escalate privileges in installations where administrators or processes with elevated privileges launch vish2.exe from a user-writable directory.
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 confidenceThis is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in vish2.exe within ModelSim and Questa verification tools (versions prior to V2024.3). The executable loads a specific DLL from the current working directory instead of using safe system paths, allowing an authenticated local attacker to place a malicious DLL in a user-writable directory. When an administrator or elevated process launches vish2.exe from that directory, the attacker's DLL executes with the elevated privileges, enabling privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.
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< 2024.3< 2024.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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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Identify ModelSim or Questa installation and versionCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'ModelSim' or 'Questa', or look in common installation paths like C:\modeltech_se or C:\questa for the version file. Run 'vish2.exe -version' if available in the installation directory.Affected if The installed version is found to be earlier than 2024.3, or if version cannot be determined but the tool is present.
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Locate vish2.exe in the installationSearch for vish2.exe within the ModelSim or Questa installation directory structure. Common paths include the bin or win32/win64 subdirectories.Affected if vish2.exe is present in the installation folder, indicating the vulnerable component exists.
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Check for user-writable directories in PATH or execution contextReview directories listed in the system PATH environment variable and any custom working directories configured for verification workflows. Identify any directories that are user-writable (permissions allow write access to standard users).Affected if User-writable directories exist in the PATH or are commonly used as working directories for these tools, creating conditions for DLL hijacking.
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Audit recent vish2.exe execution eventsReview Windows Event Viewer logs under Security for Event ID 4688 (process creation) or use PowerShell 'Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Security';ID=4688} -MaxEvents 100 | Where-Object {$_.Message -match "vish2.exe"}' to identify recent executions.Affected if vish2.exe has been executed from a user-writable directory or the execution history cannot be verified.
A defender is affected if ModelSim or Questa version is earlier than 2024.3 AND vish2.exe is present AND elevated users could potentially launch it from a user-writable directory.
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 · scoped2024.3
Primary mitigation: upgrade to V2024.3 or later. Workaround: avoid launching vish2.exe from user-writable directories; ensure elevated users launch the application from trusted system directories only.
ModelSim V2024.3 / Questa V2024.3
- 1. Back up any custom configurations, libraries, or project files associated with the current ModelSim/Questa installation
- 2. Obtain ModelSim version 2024.3 or later from the official Siemens/Certportal download portal (or Questa 2024.3 for Questa users)
- 3. Uninstall the current vulnerable version following standard uninstall procedures
- 4. Install the new version 2024.3 or later using the official installer
- 5. After installation, verify that vish2.exe is now at version 2024.3 or later by checking the file properties or running the application with version information
- 6. Validate that critical simulation flows and scripts continue to function correctly with the new version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-47194 — 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-2024-47194 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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