CVE-2005-4710 in Autodesk
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in multiple Autodesk and AutoCAD products and product families from 2006 and earlier allows remote attackers to "gain inappropriate access to another local user s computer," aka ID DL5549329.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4710 represents a significant security flaw affecting various Autodesk and AutoCAD products released prior to 2006. This unspecified weakness creates a pathway for remote attackers to compromise local user systems, fundamentally undermining the security model of these widely used computer-aided design applications. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution risk means that attackers can potentially infiltrate systems without requiring physical access or direct user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users share network resources.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and authentication mechanisms within the affected software products. When users interact with these applications, particularly in networked environments or when processing untrusted data, the software fails to properly validate user permissions and system boundaries. This flaw allows malicious actors to exploit the application's internal processes to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to other local user sessions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft, as it could potentially enable full system compromise and lateral movement within network infrastructures.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents severe risks to organizations relying on legacy Autodesk software solutions. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target systems from external networks without requiring prior access credentials, significantly expanding the attack surface. Organizations using these older versions of AutoCAD and related products face potential data breaches, intellectual property theft, and system corruption. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple product families indicates a systemic design flaw that affects the entire software ecosystem, requiring comprehensive security assessments and immediate remediation efforts.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree model, particularly those involving privilege escalation and remote access exploitation. The weakness demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-255 (Credentials Management Issues), which are frequently cited in security frameworks and incident response protocols. Organizations must implement immediate mitigations including software updates, network segmentation, and enhanced monitoring of affected systems. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current software versions and establishing robust patch management procedures to prevent similar issues from compromising critical business infrastructure.