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PhotoshopApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-38433

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 23.4.2 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 22.5.8 (and earlier) and 23.4.2 (and earlier) are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow 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.sue 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 22.5.8 and earlier (2022 release) and 23.4.2 and earlier (2023 release) contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Photoshop to version 22.5.9 or later for the 2022 release, or version 23.5.0 or later for the 2023 release. Avoid opening untrusted image files 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
PhotoshopApplication
Affected:>= 22.0, <= 22.5.8>= 23.0, <= 23.4.2

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:3.1/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 Photoshop is installed
    Check for Adobe Photoshop in your system's installed applications (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or macOS Applications folder).
    Affected if Adobe Photoshop is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Photoshop version
    Open Photoshop and go to Help > About Photoshop (or equivalent menu) to display the version number, or check the application properties in your system settings.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within the affected ranges
  3. Compare version to CVE ranges
    Match your version to the affected ranges: 2022 release versions 22.0 through 22.5.8, or 2023 release versions 23.0 through 23.4.2.
    Affected if Your version is 22.0 <= x <= 22.5.8 OR 23.0 <= x <= 23.4.2
  4. Assess file opening behavior
    Determine whether users in your environment open image files from untrusted or external sources (email attachments, downloads, network shares).
    Affected if Users routinely open image files from untrusted sources without prior validation

You are affected if Adobe Photoshop is installed and the installed version falls within 22.0-22.5.8 (2022 release) or 23.0-23.4.2 (2023 release).

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 23.4.2
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Photoshop to version 22.5.9 or later for the 2022 release, or version 23.5.0 or later for the 2023 release. Avoid opening untrusted image files until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Photoshop 22.5.9 (or later 22.x) / Photoshop 23.5.0 (or later 23.x)

  1. 1. Close Adobe Photoshop if it is currently running.
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to adobe.com/downloads.
  3. 3. Locate Adobe Photoshop in your installed applications.
  4. 4. Click Update to download and install the latest version, OR manually download the fixed version from Adobe's website.
  5. 5. Verify the installed version by opening Photoshop and checking Help > About Photoshop.
  6. 6. Confirm the version number is 22.5.9 or later for the 22.x line, or 23.5.0 or later for the 23.x line.
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 22.x to 23.x) may include feature changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows and plugins

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

Fix this in Photoshop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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-2022-38433 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