CVE-2025-5046: Autodesk Advance Steel RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-5046 Overview

CVE-2025-5046 is an Out-of-Bounds Read vulnerability [CWE-125] affecting Autodesk AutoCAD and related products in the 2026 release line. The flaw triggers when a maliciously crafted DGN file is linked or imported into an affected application. An attacker who convinces a user to open or import the file can crash the process, read sensitive memory contents, or execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution under the privileges of the AutoCAD user, alongside memory disclosure and process termination on engineering workstations.

Affected Products

Autodesk AutoCAD 2026 and AutoCAD LT 2026
Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture, Electrical, Map 3D, Mechanical, MEP, and Plant 3D 2026
Autodesk Advance Steel 2026 and Civil 3D 2026

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-15 - CVE-2025-5046 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD

Technical Details for CVE-2025-5046

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the DGN file parsing logic used by AutoCAD and its vertical products. When the application links or imports a DGN file, the parser reads structured data from the file without correctly validating buffer boundaries. A crafted DGN file with manipulated size fields or structural records forces the parser to read beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer.

This out-of-bounds read condition exposes adjacent process memory to the parsing routine. Depending on how the disclosed memory is consumed downstream, the same code path can be steered toward arbitrary code execution. Exploitation requires user interaction — the victim must open or import the attacker-supplied DGN file.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation in the DGN file handler [CWE-125]. The parser trusts length and offset values inside the file structure and performs reads without verifying that the requested ranges fall within allocated buffer boundaries. Malformed records direct the parser to read memory it does not own.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a weaponized .dgn file through email, file shares, supply chain artifacts, or design collaboration channels. When a user imports or links the file inside an affected AutoCAD product, the parser processes the malicious records and triggers the out-of-bounds read. No elevated privileges are required, and exploitation runs in the security context of the AutoCAD user.

No verified public proof-of-concept exists at this time. See the Autodesk Security Advisory ADSK-SA-2025-0017 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-5046

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes of acad.exe or related Autodesk processes immediately after opening or importing a DGN file
DGN files received from untrusted senders or staged in user temp and download directories prior to AutoCAD execution
Child processes spawned by acad.exe that perform network connections, script execution, or LOLBin activity
Memory access violations logged in Windows Event Log under Application Error with acad.exe as the faulting module

Detection Strategies

Monitor process telemetry for anomalous child processes of AutoCAD executables, particularly cmd.exe, powershell.exe, and rundll32.exe
Hunt for DGN files originating from external email or web download sources that are subsequently imported into engineering applications
Correlate AutoCAD crash events with preceding file open operations to surface exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable behavioral endpoint detection on engineering workstations to flag exploitation patterns such as memory corruption followed by code execution. The SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint behavioral AI engine identifies these post-exploitation sequences without requiring file-specific signatures.
Forward AutoCAD application crash events and process creation logs to a centralized SIEM or data lake for correlation across the engineering fleet.
Track DGN file provenance using file integrity monitoring and email gateway telemetry to identify externally sourced design files.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-5046

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security update referenced in Autodesk advisory ADSK-SA-2025-0017 to all affected 2026 products.
Inventory engineering workstations running AutoCAD 2026, AutoCAD LT 2026, Advance Steel 2026, Civil 3D 2026, and the AutoCAD vertical products to confirm patch coverage.
Restrict the import and linking of DGN files from untrusted external sources until patches are deployed.

Patch Information

Autodesk has published remediation guidance in Autodesk Security Advisory ADSK-SA-2025-0017. Updates are distributed through Autodesk Access. Administrators should deploy the vendor-supplied hotfix or upgrade to the patched build for each affected product line.

Workarounds

Block inbound DGN file attachments at email security gateways where business workflows allow.
Use application allowlisting to prevent AutoCAD from spawning shell or scripting interpreters as child processes.
Run AutoCAD under standard user accounts without local administrator rights to limit the blast radius of successful exploitation.

bash

# Example: block AutoCAD from spawning common LOLBins via Windows Defender ASR
Set-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids d4f940ab-401b-4efc-aadc-ad5f3c50688a \
                 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled