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PhotoshopApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-28279

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 a use-after-free 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 · moderate confidence

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability affects versions 22.5.6 and earlier (22.x) as well as 23.2.2 and earlier (23.x). Successful exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious file, which gives the attacker code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Photoshop to the latest version beyond 22.5.6 and 23.2.2. Additionally, train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

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. Identify if Adobe Photoshop is installed
    On Windows, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\InstallVersion or look for Photoshop.exe in Program Files. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe Photoshop*
    Affected if Adobe Photoshop is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Photoshop version
    On Windows, run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\InstallVersion" /v Version' or right-click Photoshop.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version. On macOS, right-click Photoshop.app, select Get Info, and check the Version field
    Affected if The displayed version falls within <= 22.5.6 or >= 23.0.0 and <= 23.2.2
  3. Verify the vulnerability is reachable
    Confirm that the user can open image files in Photoshop. This is the default behavior and required for exploitation - no special configuration needs to be checked as the attack vector is simply opening a malicious file
    Affected if Photoshop can open files (standard functionality) and the version is affected

A user is affected if Adobe Photoshop is installed with a version in the 22.x series up to and including 22.5.6, or in the 23.x series up to and including 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 the latest version beyond 22.5.6 and 23.2.2. Additionally, train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Photoshop 22.5.7 or later for the 22.x line; Photoshop 23.3.0 or later for the 23.x line

  1. 1. Close all running instances of Adobe Photoshop
  2. 2. Back up any custom presets, brushes, and settings if desired
  3. 3. Launch Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  4. 4. Navigate to the Apps section
  5. 5. Find Adobe Photoshop in the installed applications list
  6. 6. Click the Update button next to Photoshop to install the latest version
  7. 7. Alternatively, download the latest version from helpx.adobe.com/downloads.html
  8. 8. After update completes, verify the installed version in Photoshop via Help > About Photoshop
Caveat Minor version upgrades in Photoshop typically retain compatibility with existing files and settings; some legacy plug-ins may require updates

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

Fix this in Photoshop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2022-28279 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