CVE-2020-24422
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAdobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application version 5.2 (and earlier) and 2.1 (and earlier) for Windows is affected by an uncontrolled search path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAdobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application for Windows versions 5.2 and earlier and 2.1 and earlier contains an uncontrolled search path (DLL hijacking) vulnerability. An attacker can place a malicious file in a location where the application searches for resources, causing arbitrary code execution when a victim opens the malicious file, running in the context of the current user.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 2.1>= 5.0, <= 5.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Find installed Adobe Creative Cloud versionOpen Windows Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl), locate 'Adobe Creative Cloud' in the list, and note the version column. Alternatively, launch the Creative Cloud desktop app and navigate to Help > About Creative Cloud to view the version.Affected if version displays as 5.2 or earlier, or 2.1 or earlier (covers both affected ranges: <=2.1 and >=5.0 through <=5.2)
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Confirm Creative Cloud Desktop Application is presentVerify that Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application is installed on the Windows system by checking C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Creative Cloud\ACC\Creative Cloud.exe exists, or search for 'Adobe Creative Cloud' in Windows Start menu.Affected if the application is installed and running on the system
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Verify Windows is the affected platformConfirm the operating system is Windows, as this DLL hijacking vulnerability specifically affects the Windows version of Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application.Affected if running Windows OS with Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application installed
User is affected if Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application for Windows is installed with a version matching <= 2.1 or >= 5.0 through <= 5.2, as these versions contain the uncontrolled search path vulnerability allowing DLL hijacking.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application to the latest patched version. Until patched, advise users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-24422 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-24422 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data