CVE-2026-0538
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 maliciously crafted GIF file, when parsed through Autodesk 3ds Max, can force an Out-of-Bounds Write vulnerability. A malicious actor can leverage this vulnerability 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 · moderate confidenceAutodesk 3ds Max contains a parsing vulnerability when processing GIF image files. A specially crafted GIF file can trigger an out-of-bounds memory write, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution within the application's process context.
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>= 2026, < 2026.3.2CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 3ds Max versionOpen 3ds Max, go to Help > About Autodesk 3ds Max, or check Programs and Features for the installed version numberAffected if The version shown is 2026.x where x is less than 3.2 (e.g., 2026, 2026.1, 2026.2, 2026.3.0, 2026.3.1)
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Confirm 3ds Max installationCheck for the presence of 3ds Max in the system: look in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\ for a 3ds Max folder, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*3ds Max*"}' in PowerShellAffected if 3ds Max 2026 is found installed on the system
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Check exact build numberWithin 3ds Max, go to Help > About Autodesk 3ds Max and note the full version/build string (for example, 2026.3.1.12345), or check the uninstall registry key for the exact version valueAffected if The build/version is 2026.0 through 2026.3.1 (any version below 2026.3.2)
You are affected if Autodesk 3ds Max version 2026.x (where x < 3.2) is installed on your system.
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 · scoped2026.3.2
Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected GIF files in Autodesk 3ds Max until an official vendor patch is available. Monitor Autodesk's security advisories for updates.
Autodesk 3ds Max 2026.3.2
- 1. Verify current Autodesk 3ds Max version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Autodesk 3ds Max
- 2. Confirm the version is >= 2026 and < 2026.3.2, which is affected by this vulnerability
- 3. Download Autodesk 3ds Max version 2026.3.2 or later from the official Autodesk website (www.autodesk.com) or your Autodesk Account
- 4. Close any running instances of 3ds Max
- 5. Run the installer for version 2026.3.2 and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About Autodesk 3ds Max to confirm version 2026.3.2 is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-0538 — 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-2026-0538 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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