Overview
The cybersecurity world is facing yet another challenge with the newly discovered vulnerability CVE-2025-5040. This threat specifically targets systems using Autodesk Revit, a popular software for Building Information Modeling (BIM). By exploiting this vulnerability, a malicious actor can induce a heap-based overflow, leading to a range of potential security threats, including system crashes, unauthorized data access, and arbitrary code execution.
The importance of this vulnerability lies in its potential to breach even the most secure data. Given the extensive use of Autodesk Revit in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, the impact could be significant, affecting both the security and functionality of critical projects.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5040
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local file input
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required (User must open a malicious RTE file)
Impact: System compromise, data leakage, arbitrary code execution in the current process context
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Autodesk Revit | All versions prior to patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by taking advantage of a flaw in the Autodesk Revit’s parsing mechanism for RTE files. A malicious actor can craft a malformed RTE file in a way that triggers a heap-based overflow when parsed by the software. This leads to a buffer overrun, which can cause the software to crash, leak sensitive data, or execute arbitrary code within the context of the current process.
Conceptual Example Code
Although it’s difficult to provide precise pseudocode for the exploit due to its complex nature, a conceptual example might look like this:
Function exploit() {
rte_file = create_malformed_RTE_file();
Autodesk_Revit.open(rte_file);
}In this pseudocode above, the `create_malformed_RTE_file()` function represents the process of crafting a malicious RTE file that will induce a heap-based overflow. The `Autodesk_Revit.open(rte_file)` is the action of the victim opening the malicious RTE file with Autodesk Revit, thereby triggering the vulnerability.
Remember, this is a conceptual example, and exploiting this vulnerability in a real-world scenario involves a more complex set of operations.
