CVE-2026-7406 in AutoCAD
Summary
by MITRE • 08/07/2026
A maliciously crafted BMP file, when parsed through certain Autodesk products, can force a Untrusted Pointer Dereference vulnerability. A malicious actor can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Autodesk software products that handle bitmap image files, specifically exposing a untrusted pointer dereference condition during BMP file parsing operations. The issue arises when Autodesk applications process malformed or specially crafted BMP files that contain maliciously constructed pointers within their file structure. According to the CWE taxonomy, this maps directly to CWE-476 which describes NULL pointer dereference conditions, though the specific implementation in this case involves untrusted pointer manipulation rather than simple null references. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic input validation failure where the application fails to properly sanitize or validate pointer values within the image file metadata before attempting to dereference them during parsing operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote code execution capabilities for malicious actors who can craft specific BMP files designed to exploit this weakness. When an unsuspecting user opens or processes such a malicious file through affected Autodesk products, the application's image parsing routine encounters the crafted pointer values and attempts to dereference them without proper validation. This creates an opportunity for attackers to inject arbitrary code that executes with the privileges of the current process, potentially leading to full system compromise. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques beyond crafting a malicious file, making it accessible to threat actors with basic technical skills. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with technique T1068 which covers locally executed code and could enable further lateral movement or privilege escalation within compromised systems.
The technical implementation of this flaw suggests that Autodesk products perform insufficient validation of pointer values within the BMP file structure during parsing operations. Bitmap files contain metadata sections including color tables, pixel data offsets, and various header fields that may contain pointer references that should be validated before use. The vulnerability likely occurs when these pointers are not properly sanitized or checked for validity before being dereferenced, allowing attackers to manipulate memory access patterns through carefully constructed file contents. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege within the application's input processing logic, where untrusted data from external sources is not adequately validated before being used in memory operations. Security researchers have identified that such vulnerabilities often stem from legacy code implementations that do not properly account for modern security practices, particularly in handling complex binary formats like image files. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by Autodesk while implementing network-based controls to prevent potentially malicious BMP files from reaching end-user systems, including email filtering and application whitelisting measures.