CVE-2021-28633
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 Creative Cloud Desktop Application (installer) version 2.4 (and earlier) is affected by an Insecure temporary file creation vulnerability. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to cause arbitrary file overwriting in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires physical interaction to the system.
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 · moderate confidenceAdobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application installer version 2.4 and earlier creates temporary files insecurely, allowing an attacker with physical access to overwrite arbitrary files in the context of the current user by exploiting the predictable or unprotected temporary file operations during the installation process.
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<= 2.4CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Check Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Adobe Creative Cloud*'} | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersionAffected if The displayed version number is 2.4 or lower (for example, 2.4, 2.3, 2.2, etc.)
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Verify installer version usedCheck the installer executable file properties if the installer package is still available. Right-click the CCSetup.exe or similar installer file, select Properties, and inspect the File Version on the Details tabAffected if The installer file version is 2.4 or earlier, or the file was downloaded before the patch was released
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Inspect installation logs for temp file operationsCheck for Adobe Creative Cloud installation log files in %TEMP% folder (open Run, type %TEMP%, press Enter) for files with patterns like CC_Install*.log or similar Adobe installation logs; search for 'temp' or 'tmp' entries in these logsAffected if Log entries show creation of temporary files in predictable locations without proper protection during installation
You are affected if the installed Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application version or the installer version used is 2.4 or earlier, since the insecure temporary file creation vulnerability exists in these versions.
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 dataUpgrade Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application installer to a version newer than 2.4. Additionally, ensure physical security during installation to prevent unauthorized access to the system.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,456.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-28633 — 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-2021-28633 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data