Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:X/U:Red
Network-reachable deserialization with no auth or user interaction yields AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N; RCE in the application context gives full C:H/I:H/A:H with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (PTC).
CVSS VectorVendor: PTC
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:X/U:Red
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability has been reported in PTC Windchill PDMlink and PTC FlexPLM. The vulnerability may be exploited through the deserialization of untrusted data. * This advisory also applies to all CPS versions
- The identified vulnerability also impacts Windchill and FlexPLM releases prior to 11.0 M030
AnalysisAI
Remote code execution in PTC Windchill PDMlink and PTC FlexPLM allows unauthenticated network attackers to execute arbitrary code via deserialization of untrusted data. All releases prior to 11.0 M030 are affected, as are all CPS versions, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Reported by PTC themselves, the flaw carries a CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.3 (critical) reflecting high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability without requiring authentication or user interaction.
Technical ContextAI
PTC Windchill PDMlink is an enterprise Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Product Data Management platform widely used in manufacturing for managing CAD data, BOMs, and engineering change processes, while FlexPLM extends this for retail/footwear/apparel use cases. Both are Java-based web applications and the vulnerability is rooted in CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), specifically manifesting as deserialization of untrusted data - an attack class where attacker-controlled serialized objects are reconstructed by the server and can trigger gadget chains in the application classpath that lead to arbitrary code execution. CPE strings confirm both ptc:windchill_pdmlink and ptc:flexplm are in scope across all listed versions.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: upgrade Windchill PDMlink and FlexPLM to 11.0 M030 or later, and apply the corresponding fixed CPS release referenced in PTC support article CS473270 (https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS473270) - exact CPS build numbers should be pulled directly from that advisory as they were not enumerated in the available intelligence. Until patching is completed, restrict network exposure of Windchill/FlexPLM servers by placing them behind a VPN or zero-trust gateway and blocking direct internet access to the HTTP/HTTPS application ports (trade-off: breaks remote supplier and partner access that some PLM deployments rely on). As a secondary control, deploy a WAF rule to inspect and drop requests containing Java serialized object magic bytes (0xACED0005) on Windchill endpoints, accepting that determined attackers may use alternative serialization formats or encoding to bypass signature-based filtering.
More in Windchill Pdmlink
View allSame weakness CWE-20 – Improper Input Validation
View allSame technique Deserialization
View allShare
External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-37831
GHSA-f345-wxwr-fxfh