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Media EncoderApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-40777

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2022-03-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.4.1 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 Media Encoder version 15.4.1 (and earlier) is affected by a memory corruption vulnerability due to insecure handling of a malicious file, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability.

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 Media Encoder versions 15.4.1 and earlier contain a memory corruption vulnerability triggered by processing a malicious file. The insecure handling of file data leads to memory corruption that can be weaponized to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the current user's privileges. Exploitation requires user interaction, likely opening a specially crafted media file.

MitigationUpgrade Adobe Media Encoder to a version newer than 15.4.1. Avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown 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
Media EncoderApplication
Affected:<= 15.4.1

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:3.0/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. Verify Adobe Media Encoder is installed
    Check for the presence of Adobe Media Encoder on the system. On Windows, look for the application in Program Files or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Adobe Media Encoder.exe. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Media Encoder.app.
    Affected if Adobe Media Encoder is present on the system regardless of version
  2. Determine installed version number
    Locate the Adobe Media Encoder executable (commonly at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\15\Adobe Media Encoder.exe on Windows or /Applications/Adobe Media Encoder.app on macOS). Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About Adobe Media Encoder to display the version.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve a version number means version cannot be determined for comparison
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Compare the installed version number to the affected range: any version 15.4.1 or earlier is vulnerable. The affected range is 15.4.1 and all prior versions (e.g., 15.4, 15.3, 15.0, 14.x, etc.).
    Affected if Installed version is 15.4.1 or earlier (e.g., 15.4, 15.2, 14.0, 13.0)
  4. Confirm vulnerability trigger condition
    This vulnerability is triggered when the application processes a specially crafted malicious media file. The presence of the vulnerable software version alone indicates potential exposure if a user opens an untrusted file.
    Affected if The vulnerable version is installed AND the user may open media files from untrusted sources

User is affected if Adobe Media Encoder version 15.4.1 or earlier is installed and the application can be used to open media files.

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 15.4.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Adobe Media Encoder to a version newer than 15.4.1. Avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.2 or later (subsequent security release)

  1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit adobe.com/downloads
  2. Navigate to Adobe Media Encoder in your installed apps
  3. Check for available updates or manually download the latest version from Adobe's official website
  4. Launch Adobe Media Encoder after updating to verify the version number
  5. Confirm the installed version is newer than 15.4.1
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - ensure project files are backed up before updating

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

Fix this in Media Encoder Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2021-40777 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