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IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-38408

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 26.4 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 Illustrator versions 26.4 (and earlier) and 25.4.7 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Input Validation 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. 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

Adobe Illustrator versions prior to 26.4.1 and 25.4.8 contain an improper input validation vulnerability in file parsing that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted file. The vulnerability exploits the lack of proper validation of file data structures, enabling an attacker to achieve code execution with the privileges of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to version 26.4.1 or later (Windows) and 25.4.8 or later (macOS). Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from unknown sources until the patch is applied.

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
IllustratorApplication
Affected:>= 25.0, <= 25.4.7>= 26.0, <= 26.4

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. Verify Adobe Illustrator is installed
    Check for Adobe Illustrator in the system. On Windows, look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Version]\Support Files\Contents\Windows\ or check Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe Illustrator [Version].app
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed on the system
  2. Locate the installed version number
    On Windows, right-click the Illustrator.exe file, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version. On macOS, right-click Adobe Illustrator.app, select Get Info, and view the Version field under General.
    Affected if Unable to determine the version number
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Identify the major version (25.x or 26.x). Compare against: 25.0 through 25.4.7 (macOS), or 26.0 through 26.4 (Windows). The version is vulnerable if it falls within these ranges.
    Affected if Installed version is 25.0 to 25.4.7, or 26.0 to 26.4 (exact version not yet patched)
  4. Confirm the attack surface exists
    Verify that Adobe Illustrator can process vector graphics files (.ai, .eps, .svg, .pdf) which are used as the attack vector for this file parsing vulnerability.
    Affected if Illustrator can open or preview files without additional security measures

A user is affected if Adobe Illustrator version 25.0-25.4.7 (macOS) or 26.0-26.4 (Windows) is installed and can process files, since the vulnerability triggers upon opening a maliciously crafted file.

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 26.4
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Illustrator to version 26.4.1 or later (Windows) and 25.4.8 or later (macOS). Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from unknown sources until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Illustrator 26.5 or later (26.x branch); Adobe Illustrator 25.5 or later (25.x branch)

  1. 1. Verify current Adobe Illustrator version by navigating to Help > About Adobe Illustrator
  2. 2. Close Adobe Illustrator completely before upgrading
  3. 3. Download Adobe Illustrator version 26.5 (or later 26.x release) from the official Adobe website or Creative Cloud desktop application
  4. 4. If using version 25.x, download version 25.5 (or later 25.x release) instead
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the version by checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator confirms version 26.5 or later, or 25.5 or later
  7. 7. Reopen any previously saved files to ensure functionality
Caveat Upgrading may require acceptance of new license terms; some legacy plugins or scripts may require verification of compatibility with the new version

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

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

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-2022-38408 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