CVE-2021-28586
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 · uneditedAfter Effects version 18.0 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds write 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 After Effects version 18.0 and earlier contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows an attacker to write data beyond the allocated memory buffer. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, this memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges 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< 18.2CVSS 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.
-
Check installed After Effects version on WindowsRight-click on AfterFX.exe (typically in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects [version]\Support Files\) and select Properties > Details to view the File Version. Alternatively, open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app, go to the After Effects product page, and check the installed version there.Affected if Version shown is 18.0 or earlier, or any version number lower than 18.2 (for example, 18.1, 17.x, 16.x)
-
Check installed After Effects version on macOSOpen Finder, navigate to Applications > Adobe After Effects [version], right-click the application, select Get Info, and check the Version field under General. The Creative Cloud desktop app also displays installed versions.Affected if Version shown is 18.0 or earlier, or any version number lower than 18.2 (for example, 18.1, 17.x, 16.x)
-
Check version via command lineOpen Command Prompt or Terminal and navigate to the After Effects support folder, then run 'aerender -version' if available, or check the application bundle contents for version info.Affected if The returned version is 18.0 or earlier, or any version below 18.2
-
Assess file opening exposureDetermine whether users in the environment commonly open project files, footage, or assets from external or untrusted sources, as this is the attack vector required to trigger the vulnerability.Affected if Users routinely open files from email attachments, downloads, or other untrusted sources without prior verification
The environment is affected if Adobe After Effects version is 18.1 or earlier (any version below 18.2) and users may open untrusted or specially crafted files.
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 data18.2
Update Adobe After Effects to version 18.1 or later. Avoid opening untrusted files from unknown sources, and exercise caution with email attachments or downloads.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-28586 — 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-2021-28586 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