dbcve.org
FramemakerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-28596

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2019.0.8 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 Framemaker version 2020.0.1 (and earlier) and 2019.0.8 (and earlier) are 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

Adobe Framemaker contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in its file parsing logic. When parsing a specially crafted malicious file, the application writes data outside the boundaries of an allocated buffer, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply the vendor patch by updating Adobe Framemaker to a version beyond 2020.0.1 and 2019.0.8. Until patched, warn users against opening files from untrusted sources.

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
FramemakerApplication
Affected:<= 2019.0.8= 2020.0.1

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. Check if Adobe Framemaker is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps & Features or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion
    Affected if Adobe Framemaker appears in the installed applications list
  2. Determine the exact installed version of Adobe Framemaker
    Open Adobe Framemaker, go to Help > About Adobe Framemaker, or check the version in Add/Remove Programs
    Affected if The displayed version matches 2019.0.8 or earlier, or equals 2020.0.1 exactly
  3. Compare your version against affected ranges
    If version is 2019.x, verify if it is <= 2019.0.8. If version is 2020.x, verify if it equals exactly 2020.0.1
    Affected if Your version falls within 2019.0 through 2019.0.8 (inclusive) or is exactly 2020.0.1
  4. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    This vulnerability is triggered when parsing specially crafted MIF, FrameMaker Interchange Format, or other supported file types. The vulnerability exists in the core file parsing engine and requires no special configuration to be exploitable
    Affected if You open a malicious file using Adobe Framemaker with an affected version

You are affected if Adobe Framemaker is installed and the version is either 2019.0.8 or earlier, or exactly 2020.0.1, and you open untrusted files with the application.

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 2019.0.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch by updating Adobe Framemaker to a version beyond 2020.0.1 and 2019.0.8. Until patched, warn users against opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Framemaker 2019.0.9+ or 2020.0.2+ (latest available release)

  1. 1. Close Adobe Framemaker if it is currently running.
  2. 2. Verify your current Framemaker version by going to Help > About Adobe Framemaker.
  3. 3. For Framemaker 2019.x users: Upgrade to version 2019.0.9 or later.
  4. 4. For Framemaker 2020.x users: Upgrade to version 2020.0.2 or later.
  5. 5. Download the updated version from the official Adobe website or use your Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application to update.
  6. 6. After installation, restart Framemaker and confirm the version has been updated.
  7. 7. Exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file).
Caveat Standard upgrade - review Adobe release notes for any feature changes in new versions

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

Fix this in Framemaker Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2021-28596 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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