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PhotoshopApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-28274

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 read vulnerability when parsing a crafted file, which could result in a read past the end of an allocated memory structure. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code 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 read vulnerability when parsing specially crafted files. The vulnerability allows reading past the end of allocated memory structures, which could be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires the victim to open a malicious file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Photoshop to the latest patched version (23.3.1 or later for the 23.x branch, or 22.5.7 for the 22.x branch). Additionally, implement user awareness training to discourage 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
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. Determine installed Adobe Photoshop version
    On Windows, check the executable version at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\Photoshop.exe via right-click > Properties > Details, or run `wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Adobe Photoshop [version]\\Photoshop.exe'" get Version`. On macOS, right-click Photoshop.app > Get Info or run `defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ Photoshop\ [version]/Adobe\ Photoshop\ [version].app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString`.
    Affected if The displayed version is 22.5.6 or earlier, or falls between 23.0.0 and 23.2.2 inclusive.
  2. Verify exact version number
    In Photoshop, go to Help > About Photoshop. The version string typically shows something like "22.5.6" or "23.2.2". Note the full version number including any sub-version designations.
    Affected if The version string matches one of the affected ranges listed above.
  3. Confirm branch and full version
    Photoshop uses two parallel release branches: 22.x (2022) and 23.x (2023). Identify which branch your installation belongs to by the major version number in the About dialog or file properties.
    Affected if The branch is 22.x with version <= 22.5.6, or branch is 23.x with version <= 23.2.2.
  4. Assess user file handling exposure
    Determine whether users in the environment routinely open image files (PSD, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, or other formats supported by Photoshop) from external sources, email attachments, or untrusted network locations.
    Affected if Users routinely open files from untrusted sources without prior validation, as exploitation requires opening a specially crafted malicious file.

You are affected if your installed Photoshop version falls within 22.5.6 or earlier, or 23.0.0 through 23.2.2, and users can open files from untrusted sources.

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 the latest patched version (23.3.1 or later for the 23.x branch, or 22.5.7 for the 22.x branch). Additionally, implement user awareness training to discourage opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Photoshop 22.5.7 or later for the 22.x line, or 23.3.0 or later for the 23.x line

  1. 1. Close Adobe Photoshop completely before updating.
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application.
  3. 3. Navigate to the Apps section.
  4. 4. Find Adobe Photoshop in the installed apps list.
  5. 5. Click on the Update button next to Photoshop to install the latest version.
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from the Adobe Photoshop official download page.
  7. 7. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Photoshop to confirm the update was successful.
Caveat Minimal risk; point releases typically include only security fixes and minor improvements without breaking existing functionality

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

Fix this in Photoshop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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-2022-28274 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