CVE-2021-21006
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 Photoshop version 22.1 (and earlier) is affected by a heap buffer overflow vulnerability when handling a specially crafted font file. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution. 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 confidenceHeap buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop when parsing specially crafted font files. The vulnerability corrupts heap memory during font parsing, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution through a malicious .font or related 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<= 22.1CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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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Confirm Adobe Photoshop is installedCheck for Photoshop installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version] on Windows or /Applications/Adobe Photoshop on macOS), or look for Photoshop entries in installed programs listAffected if Adobe Photoshop is present on the system
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Identify installed Photoshop versionOpen Photoshop, go to Help > About Photoshop, or check the version in the application properties. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view File VersionAffected if The displayed version number is 22.1 or earlier (any version up to and including 22.1)
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Verify font parsing is in useThis vulnerability triggers when Photoshop parses font files. Check for recent .font, .ttf, .otf, or related font file openings in the application. Inspect recent file history or temp folders for processed font filesAffected if Font files from untrusted sources have been opened in Photoshop
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Check for indicators of compromiseExamine Photoshop temp directories (typically in %TEMP% on Windows or /tmp on macOS) for unexpected or recently created font-related files. Review endpoint detection logs for process execution anomalies around Photoshop.exe and font parsing modulesAffected if Unexpected font processing activity or suspicious font files are found in Photoshop working directories
A system is affected if Adobe Photoshop version 22.1 or earlier is installed AND the user has opened a specially crafted malicious font file, which would trigger the heap buffer overflow during parsing.
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 Photoshop to version 22.1.1 or later. Until patched, avoid opening font files from untrusted sources and consider endpoint detection tools to block malicious file execution.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21006 — 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-2021-21006 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
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