CVE-2020-24423
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 Media Encoder version 14.4 (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 Media Encoder versions 14.4 and earlier for Windows contain an uncontrolled search path vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution. An attacker can place a malicious file in a directory searched by the application, causing it to load and execute arbitrary code when a victim opens a specifically crafted malicious file.
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<= 14.4CVSS 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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Verify Adobe Media Encoder installationCheck for the application in typical installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\, or search for AME.exe in the system.Affected if Adobe Media Encoder is found installed on the system.
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Retrieve installed version numberRight-click on AME.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to find the Product Version. Alternatively, open the application and check Help > About Adobe Media Encoder.Affected if The version displayed is 14.4 or earlier.
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Confirm via Windows registryOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\ or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\ to find the version value.Affected if The registry shows a version value of 14.4 or lower.
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Identify executable locationLocate the AME.exe file path on the system to understand where the application is installed and running from.Affected if The application is installed in a directory where an untrusted user could place malicious files that the application would search for.
The system is affected if Adobe Media Encoder version 14.4 or earlier is installed on Windows, as this version contains the uncontrolled search path vulnerability that could allow arbitrary code execution via malicious files in searchable directories.
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 Media Encoder to a patched version beyond 14.4. Users should avoid opening untrusted files and ensure the application is run from trusted directories.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-24423 — 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-2020-24423 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