Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Simcenter Femap can mishandle crafted FEMAP files in listed 2020.2 and 2021.1 versions. If a user opens a malicious file, the flaw could allow code execution with that user's privileges. This is most urgent for engineering workstations that receive external project files.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for engineering teams handling external design files. The business risk is workstation compromise through a project file, not broad internet exposure. Treat it as high priority where Femap is business-critical or supplier file exchange is common.
Technical view
CVE-2021-27387 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in femap.exe during FEMAP file parsing. Siemens lists Simcenter Femap 2020.2 before V2020.2.MP3 and 2021.1 before V2021.1.MP3 as affected. The issue is distinct from CVE-2021-27399 and tracked by ZDI-CAN-12819.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running the affected Simcenter Femap versions, especially engineering endpoints that open FEMAP files from partners, customers, suppliers, or shared repositories.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show known active exploitation or CISA KEV listing. Exploitation would require a malicious FEMAP file to be parsed by the vulnerable application, based on the CVE description.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to CVE, Siemens, and ZDI references in the bundle. No CVSS vector, exploit publication, or active exploitation evidence is provided. The core bug class is memory corruption during file parsing with potential code execution in the current process.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all Simcenter Femap 2020.2 and 2021.1 installations.
- Move affected installations out of the listed vulnerable version ranges.
- Review Siemens SSA-133038 before applying vendor-specific remediation.
- Restrict opening FEMAP files from untrusted or unauthenticated sources.
- Run Femap users with least-privilege workstation accounts where feasible.
Validation and detection
- Check installed Femap versions against the affected ranges.
- Confirm updated systems are at V2020.2.MP3, V2021.1.MP3, or vendor-approved later versions.
- Review engineering file intake paths for untrusted FEMAP files.
- Verify endpoint monitoring covers femap.exe abnormal child processes or crashes.
- Document any exceptions and compensating file-handling controls.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-27387 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-133038.pdfCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-780/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.