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PhotoshopApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-23205

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2022-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 23.2.2 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 Photoshop versions 22.5.6 (and earlier)and 23.2.2 (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 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

Adobe Photoshop versions 22.5.6 and earlier, and 23.2.2 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the application writes data beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Photoshop to a version newer than 22.5.6 (for Photoshop 22.x) or 23.2.2 (for Photoshop 23.x). Users should avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
PhotoshopApplication
Affected:<= 22.5.6>= 23.0.0, <= 23.2.2

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:3.0/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate Adobe Photoshop installation
    On Windows, Photoshop.exe is typically found in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\. On macOS, it is in /Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version].app
    Affected if Photoshop is installed on the system
  2. Find the installed Photoshop version number
    On Windows, right-click Photoshop.exe, select Properties, and view the File Version on the Details tab. On macOS, right-click the Photoshop.app, select Get Info, and view the Version under General. Alternatively, open Photoshop and go to Help > About Photoshop to display the version in the splash screen.
    Affected if Unable to determine the version indicates manual investigation is needed
  3. Compare your version against affected ranges
    Check if your installed version is 22.5.6 or lower (for the 22.x line), OR between 23.0.0 and 23.2.2 inclusive (for the 23.x line). Both ranges are affected by this CVE.
    Affected if Your version falls within <= 22.5.6 OR within >= 23.0.0 and <= 23.2.2
  4. Note the attack prerequisite
    This vulnerability is triggered only when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file. Verify if users in your environment open files from untrusted or unknown sources, as this is required for exploitation.
    Affected if Users routinely open files from untrusted sources and the installed version is within the affected ranges

You are affected if Adobe Photoshop is installed with a version number in the 22.x series at 22.5.6 or lower, or in the 23.x series from 23.0.0 through 23.2.2.

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 23.2.2
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Photoshop to a version newer than 22.5.6 (for Photoshop 22.x) or 23.2.2 (for Photoshop 23.x). Users should avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Photoshop 22.5.7 or later for the 22.x branch, or 23.3.0 or later for the 23.x branch (or the latest available version)

  1. 1. Close Adobe Photoshop if it is currently running
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. 3. Navigate to the Apps tab
  4. 4. Find Adobe Photoshop in the list of installed apps
  5. 5. Click on the update button next to Photoshop to install the latest version
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from the official Adobe website at https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
  7. 7. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update
  8. 8. After installation, verify the version by opening Photoshop and going to Help > About Photoshop
Caveat Adobe updates typically include new features; review release notes for any workflow changes

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

Fix this in Photoshop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

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

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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-2022-23205 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