Code execution via double-free PDF parsing
Published Jul 9, 2021 · Updated Jun 19, 2026
Double-free in PDF parsing in Autodesk Design Review 2018 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute code via a malicious PDF. Its PDF parser frees the same memory allocation twice while processing crafted PDF content, corrupting process memory. The target must open the file or visit a malicious page, and successful exploitation runs code in the current process.
Summary
What happened
Double-free in PDF parsing in Autodesk Design Review 2018 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute code via a malicious PDF. Its PDF parser frees the same memory allocation twice while processing crafted PDF content, corrupting process memory. The target must open the file or visit a malicious page, and successful exploitation runs code in the current process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-27033
- Published
- Jul 9, 2021
- Updated
- Jun 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Autodesk
- Product
- Autodesk Design Review
- Classifications
- CWE-415, T1203, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 9, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2018.0.0, 2017.0.0, 2013.0.0, 2012.0.0, 2011.0.0 <2018.0.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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