CVE-2021-42271
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 Animate version 21.0.9 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could result in 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 BMP 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 Animate versions 21.0.9 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability when parsing BMP files. A specially crafted malicious BMP file can trigger memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires the victim to open the malicious file.
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<= 21.0.9CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Adobe Animate is installedCheck for Adobe Animate installation on the system. Look for the application in the Start Menu, Program Files directory, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\AnimateAffected if Adobe Animate is present on the system
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Determine installed Adobe Animate versionLocate the Adobe Animate executable (commonly named Adobe Animate.exe) and view its version properties, or check the version in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Animate\InstallPathAffected if Version cannot be determined or is <= 21.0.9
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the installed version number to the affected range: any version 21.0.9 or earlier is vulnerable. Version 21.0.10 and later are patched.Affected if Installed version is 21.0.9 or earlier, or no version is displayed (unusual installation)
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Confirm BMP file handling capabilityVerify that Adobe Animate can open or import BMP files, as this is the attack vector. Attempt to open a BMP file in the application or check file association settings.Affected if BMP files can be opened or imported in Adobe Animate
The system is affected if Adobe Animate is installed with version 21.0.9 or earlier and can handle BMP files.
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 Animate to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected BMP files from unknown sources.
Adobe Animate 21.0.10 or later
- Navigate to the official Adobe website and download Adobe Animate version 21.0.10 or later
- Ensure you download from the official Adobe source at adobe.com
- Install the updated version of Adobe Animate
- Verify the installed version by checking Help > About Adobe Animate
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-42271 — 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-2021-42271 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