dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2021-42531

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2021.07 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
XMP Toolkit SDK version 2021.07 (and earlier) is affected by a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction in that a victim must open a crafted 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 confidence

XMP Toolkit SDK versions 2021.07 and earlier contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability during XMP file parsing. A specially crafted malicious XMP file can overflow a stack-allocated buffer, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted or unverified XMP files. Update to a patched version of the XMP Toolkit SDK when released by Adobe.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0
Xmp Toolkit Software Development KitApplication
Affected:<= 2021.07

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. Check if Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK is installed
    Search for XMP Toolkit SDK files on the system. Common locations include /opt/, /usr/local/, or within application directories. Look for files named 'XMP Toolkit', 'XMP', or related libraries such as 'libxmptoolkit' or similar. Use commands like 'find / -name "*XMP*" -type f 2>/dev/null' or check package managers if installed via OS package.
    Affected if The Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK or any application bundling it is found on the system.
  2. Determine the installed XMP Toolkit SDK version
    If the SDK is found, check its version. Look for version information in SDK headers, library files, or associated manifest files. The affected version is 2021.07 or earlier. Compare your installed version against this threshold.
    Affected if The installed version is 2021.07 or any version lower than 2021.07.
  3. Identify applications using the XMP Toolkit
    Identify applications that rely on the Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK for XMP parsing functionality. Check application documentation, dependencies, or run applications with verbose logging to see which XMP libraries they load. Common indicators include applications that handle image metadata, PDF files, or creative software.
    Affected if Any application using the Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK is present on the system.
  4. Verify operating system version
    Check if the system is running Debian Linux version 10.0. Use the command 'cat /etc/debian_version' or 'lsb_release -a' to confirm the OS version.
    Affected if The system is Debian Linux version 10.0 and has the XMP Toolkit or related software installed.
  5. Inspect for XMP file processing contexts
    Determine if the system processes XMP files from untrusted sources. Check for workflows, services, or automated processes that accept XMP input. Review application configurations and log files for XMP-related operations.
    Affected if The system processes XMP files from external or untrusted sources using affected software.

A user is affected if the Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK version 2021.07 or earlier is installed, or if running Debian 10.0 with XMP-related software, and the system processes XMP 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 2021.07
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening untrusted or unverified XMP files. Update to a patched version of the XMP Toolkit SDK when released by Adobe.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

XMP Toolkit SDK version 2021.08 or later (verify current latest version with Adobe)

  1. 1. Identify the specific version of XMP Toolkit SDK or Adobe product using the affected library in your environment
  2. 2. Obtain the latest version of XMP Toolkit SDK from the official Adobe XMP website or your Adobe enterprise support channel
  3. 3. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment to verify compatibility
  4. 4. Deploy the fixed version to production systems
  5. 5. Ensure users are warned not to open untrusted XMP files until the patch is applied
Caveat Review Adobe release notes for any API changes between your current version and the upgrade version

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

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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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-2021-42531 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