dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-28592

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 25.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Adobe Illustrator version 25.2.3 (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 confidence

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Adobe Illustrator versions 25.2.3 and earlier when parsing specially crafted files. By tricking a user into opening a malicious file, an unauthenticated attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user's privileges.

MitigationApply Adobe's security update (version 25.2.4 or later) to all affected installations. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files until the patch is deployed.

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
IllustratorApplication
Affected:<= 25.2.3

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Adobe Illustrator version
    On Windows, open Programs and Features or run 'wmic product get name,version' to list Adobe products. On macOS, check /Applications folder or run 'ls /Applications | grep -i illustrator', then right-click and Get Info to see version. You can also check the version from the application menu: Help > About Illustrator.
    Affected if The displayed version is 25.2.3 or any version number lower than 25.2.3 (for example, 25.2, 25.1, 25.0, 24.x, etc.)
  2. Verify the vulnerable file parsing component exists
    Confirm Adobe Illustrator is installed on the system by locating the application executable. On Windows, typical path is C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator XX\Support Files\Contents\Windows\Illustrator.exe. On macOS, typically in /Applications/Adobe Illustrator XX/Adobe Illustrator.app.
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed at any version 25.2.3 or earlier.

If the installed Adobe Illustrator version is 25.2.3 or earlier, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 25.2.3
Interim mitigation

Apply Adobe's security update (version 25.2.4 or later) to all affected installations. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files until the patch is deployed.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Illustrator 25.3 or later (or Illustrator 2022 version 26.x)

  1. 1. Verify the current Adobe Illustrator version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Illustrator
  2. 2. Download Adobe Illustrator version 25.3 or later from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/illustrator) or through the Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. 3. Close all instances of Adobe Illustrator if currently running
  4. 4. Install the downloaded update using the Adobe installer, following the on-screen prompts
  5. 5. Restart the computer after installation completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator to confirm version 25.3 or higher is installed
  7. 7. Ensure Windows/macOS security best practices are followed - do not open untrusted files and be cautious with attachments from unknown sources
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade within same major release - no major breaking changes expected; user preferences and settings should transfer automatically

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-28592 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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