dbcve.org
Media EncoderApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-40780

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 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 in the file parsing logic. When processing a specially crafted malicious media file, the application insecurely handles the file data, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction—specifically opening or processing a malicious file.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict user ability to open untrusted media files, implement application sandboxing, and educate users to avoid 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
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:3.1/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. Verify Adobe Media Encoder is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use command: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Media Encoder*'} | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion
    Affected if Adobe Media Encoder appears in the installed programs list
  2. Identify the installed version number
    In Programs and Features, locate Adobe Media Encoder and note the version in the Version column. Alternatively, right-click the application executable in Program Files/Adobe and select Properties > Details to view the File Version.
    Affected if Version displayed is 15.4.1 or any version lower than 15.4.1 (e.g., 15.4, 15.3, 15.2, etc.)
  3. Confirm the vulnerable file parsing component exists
    Verify the application executable exists at typical installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\15.0\Adobe Media Encoder.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\15.0\Adobe Media Encoder.exe
    Affected if The Adobe Media Encoder executable is present and accessible to the user account in question
  4. Check if the application can process media files
    Open Adobe Media Encoder and attempt to import a media file, or verify the application has not been restricted from accessing media files through application controls or file type associations.
    Affected if The application can process media files through its import or encoding features

Your environment is affected if Adobe Media Encoder is installed and the installed version is 15.4.1 or earlier, since the vulnerability exists in the file parsing logic and exploitation requires only opening a malicious media file.

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

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict user ability to open untrusted media files, implement application sandboxing, and educate users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.2 or later (or latest 15.x/16.x release)

  1. Navigate to Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit adobe.com/products/media-encoder.html
  2. Check current installed version by opening Adobe Media Encoder and going to Help > About Adobe Media Encoder
  3. Download and install the latest version of Adobe Media Encoder (version 15.4.2 or later)
  4. Alternatively, open Creative Cloud desktop app, navigate to Apps tab, and update Adobe Media Encoder to the latest available version
  5. Verify the installation by checking Help > About Adobe Media Encoder confirms version 15.4.2 or higher
Caveat Standard upgrade; ensure system meets minimum requirements for the new version

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

Fix this in Media Encoder Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,220
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,552.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-40780 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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