CVE-2021-21101
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 Illustrator version 25.2 (and earlier) is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted file. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve 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 Illustrator versions 25.2 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability when parsing specially crafted files. An attacker can trigger this vulnerability by having a victim open a maliciously crafted file, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution 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<= 25.2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
-
Confirm Adobe Illustrator is installedCheck system for Adobe Illustrator application - on Windows look in Program Files/Adobe, on macOS look in Applications folder for Adobe Illustrator.appAffected if Adobe Illustrator is present on the system
-
Determine installed Illustrator versionOpen Adobe Illustrator, then go to Help > About Illustrator (Windows) or Illustrator > About Illustrator (macOS) to display the exact version number, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Illustrator or macOS app bundle Info.plistAffected if The displayed version is 25.2 or any version number lower than 25.2
-
Compare version to affected rangeNote the full version number (including minor release like x.x.x) and compare against the vulnerable range: all versions 25.2 and earlierAffected if The installed version falls at or below 25.2 (for example 25.0, 24.2.1, 24.0, etc.)
-
Verify if Illustrator handles untrusted filesDetermine whether the system user regularly opens AI, EPS, PDF, or other Illustrator-supported files from external or untrusted sources, or if file preview/thumbnail generation is enabledAffected if Users routinely open unsolicited files from unknown sources or automated processes parse incoming files with Illustrator
If Adobe Illustrator version 25.2 or lower is installed and the system or its users process external files, the environment is vulnerable to this out-of-bounds write flaw when a specially crafted malicious file is opened.
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.
dbcve · scopedUsers should upgrade to Adobe Illustrator version 26.0 or later. Until the patch is applied, avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files from unknown sources.
Adobe Illustrator 25.3 or later
- 1. Close Adobe Illustrator if it is currently running
- 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to adobe.com/downloads
- 3. Locate Adobe Illustrator in your installed applications
- 4. Check for available updates - the fixed version is 25.3 or later
- 5. Download and install the update
- 6. Restart your computer after installation
- 7. Verify the installed version by opening Illustrator and checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21101 — 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-2021-21101 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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