CVE-2021-40779
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 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 confidenceAdobe Media Encoder versions 15.4.1 and earlier contain a memory corruption vulnerability triggered by insecure handling of malicious media files. Exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted malicious file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution 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<= 15.4.1CVSS 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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Verify Adobe Media Encoder is installedCheck for the presence of Adobe Media Encoder in the system: On Windows, look in Program Files/Adobe/ or check Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, check /Applications/ for Adobe Media Encoder.appAffected if Adobe Media Encoder is not installed on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine installed version numberLocate the version: On Windows, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{Adobe Media Encoder} for DisplayVersion, or right-click the application in Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, right-click Adobe Media Encoder.app and select Get Info to view the versionAffected if The version cannot be determined because the application is not installed
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Compare version to affected rangeCompare the identified version number against the affected range: versions 15.4.1 and earlier are vulnerable. Versions greater than 15.4.1 are not affectedAffected if The installed version is 15.4.1 or earlier (for example: 15.4.1, 15.4, 15.3, 15.2, etc.)
A user is affected if Adobe Media Encoder is installed and the installed version is 15.4.1 or any earlier version number.
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 Media Encoder to a version newer than 15.4.1. Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected media files from unknown sources.
Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.2 or later (or current latest release)
- Navigate to the Adobe Media Encoder download page at https://helpx.adobe.com/media-encoder.html
- Click on 'Download' or check for updates within the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
- Install the latest available version of Adobe Media Encoder
- Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the secure version (15.4.2 or later)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40779 — 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-2021-40779 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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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.
- 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