Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-2762 is a high-severity flaw in SOLIDWORKS Desktop file handling. A user opening a malicious SLDPRT part file could trigger arbitrary code execution. The main business risk is compromise of engineering workstations and sensitive design data through untrusted CAD files.
Executive priority
Treat this as a near-term workstation risk for engineering teams. Prioritize sites handling third-party CAD files, because successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of design systems.
Technical view
The issue is a CWE-416 use-after-free in the SLDPRT file reading procedure. Sources list SOLIDWORKS Desktop releases 2021 through 2023 as affected, with CVSS 3.1 score 7.8 and vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where SOLIDWORKS Desktop 2021, 2022, or 2023 is installed and users open part files from customers, suppliers, email, shared drives, or collaboration portals.
Exploitation context
The sources say exploitation requires local user interaction: opening a specially crafted SLDPRT file. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sufficient for vulnerability class, affected product family, CVSS, and interaction requirements. The provided sources do not name a specific patched build, public exploit, or observed exploitation, so remediation should track vendor advisory details.
Mitigation direction
- Check Dassault Systèmes advisories for fixed builds and upgrade guidance.
- Inventory SOLIDWORKS Desktop installations and prioritize affected 2021-2023 releases.
- Restrict opening SLDPRT files from untrusted or unauthenticated sources.
- Route external CAD files through established malware scanning and review workflows.
- Apply least privilege and endpoint protection on engineering workstations.
Validation and detection
- Identify installed SOLIDWORKS Desktop versions and build levels across endpoints.
- Compare installed versions with Dassault Systèmes advisory guidance.
- Review CAD file intake paths for external SLDPRT exposure.
- Check endpoint alerts or crashes involving SOLIDWORKS file opening.
- Confirm users handling supplier CAD files have updated software.
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-416: 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-2762 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.3ds.com/vulnerability/advisoriesCVE reference
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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.