CVE-2021-42727
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 Bridge 11.1.1 (and earlier) is affected by a stack overflow vulnerability due to insecure handling of a crafted file, 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 in Bridge.
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 Bridge 11.1.1 and earlier contains a stack overflow vulnerability in its file parsing logic. When the application processes a specially crafted file without proper bounds validation, it allows overflow of a stack-based buffer, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution with 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<= 2020.0.1CVSS 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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Identify Adobe Robohelp Server installationLocate the Adobe Robohelp Server installation directory, typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) on Windows, or /Applications on macOS. Check for a folder named 'Adobe Robohelp Server' or similar.Affected if Adobe Robohelp Server is installed on the system
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Determine installed versionNavigate to the installation directory and look for a version file, README, or check file properties of the main executable (often named rhs.exe, RobohelpServer.exe, or similar). Alternatively, check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Robohelp\Server or the application's About/Help section if accessible.Affected if The version cannot be determined or is not clearly displayed, requiring manual version extraction from binaries or configuration files
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Compare version to affected rangeIf a version number is found, compare it numerically to 2020.0.1. Check if the installed version is 2020.0.1 or any earlier version (such as 2020.0.0, 2019.x, etc.).Affected if The installed version is 2020.0.1 or lower (for example, 2020.0.0, 2019.0.2, etc.)
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Assess file parsing exposureDetermine if the server is configured to process or parse user-supplied files, particularly in contexts where specially crafted files could be submitted to the server for processing.Affected if The server accepts or processes files from untrusted sources without additional validation
A user is affected if Adobe Robohelp Server version 2020.0.1 or lower is installed and the server processes untrusted files through its file parsing logic.
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.
From vendor dataAvoid opening untrusted or unexpected files in Adobe Bridge until the vendor patch is applied; consider implementing file type allow-listing and user awareness training to reduce exposure to social engineering attacks.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-42727 — 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-2021-42727 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