CVE-2021-28607
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 After Effects version 18.2 (and earlier) is affected by a heap corruption 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 After Effects version 18.2 and earlier contains a heap corruption vulnerability during file parsing. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the heap corruption can be triggered, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user's privileges.
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.
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Identify Adobe After Effects installationOn Windows, check the installed version via the Windows Registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\After Effects\[version] or by opening After Effects and navigating to Help > About Adobe After Effects. On macOS, right-click the application in /Applications and select Get Info to view the version.Affected if Adobe After Effects is installed on the system
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Determine installed version numberLocate the full version number (such as 18.0, 18.1, or 18.2) from the version check performed in the previous step. Note that version 18.2.1 and later are patched.Affected if The version cannot be determined or is 18.2 or earlier
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Compare against affected version rangeCompare the identified version against the affected range. Versions 18.2 and earlier (including 18.0, 18.1, and 18.2) are vulnerable. Version 18.2.1 and later are not affected.Affected if The installed version is 18.2 or earlier
If Adobe After Effects version 18.2 or earlier is installed, the environment is affected by this heap corruption vulnerability.
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 · scopedUpdate Adobe After Effects to version 18.2.1 or later. Additionally, exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources and consider implementing network-level file type restrictions.
Adobe After Effects 18.2.1 or later
- Upgrade Adobe After Effects to version 18.2.1 or later
- Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files received via email, download links, or other unverified sources
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-28607 — 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-2021-28607 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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